Billionaire businessman and philanthropist Sir Ian Wood has been honoured for his outstanding contribution to the offshore energy industry.
He was awarded the 2025 Significant Contribution Award at the Offshore Achievement Awards (OAAs), held at P&J Live in Aberdeen.
A key figure in the North Sea oil and gas industry, Sir Ian is best known for his transformative work with Wood Group, which he led for more than four decades.
The 82-year-old Aberdonian transformed the company from a modest operation serving the local market to a global leader with operations in over 50 countries.
Great Scottish business success story
Appointed chief executive of John Wood Group in 1970, he played an instrumental role in shaping the company’s remarkable growth.
Under his leadership, the service company for oil, gas and power industries grew to employ 42,000 people worldwide, with annual sales of US$7bn.
As a result, Sir Ian became one of the wealthiest individuals in the country, with an estimated net worth of £1.7 billion as of 2020.
Reflecting on Sir Ian’s legacy, Steve Rae—last year’s recipient of the Significant Contribution Award and a survivor of the Piper Alpha disaster—introduced the 2025 winner.
He said: “This is truly one of the greatest Scottish business success stories, unlikely to ever be emulated.
“Throughout his tenure at that great company, our winner actively advocated for Scottish engineering expertise to the global market.
“Many north-east companies have benefited directly from his approach.”
Top honour for Sir Ian Wood
Mr Rae, who is well acquainted with the challenges of the offshore sector, praised Sir Ian for his visionary leadership and for shaping the global landscape of the oil and gas industry.
He added: “In the past decade he established Opportunity North East, a private sector-led, not-for-profit organisation, that drives diversification of our local economy to capitalise on commercial opportunities in the food and drink, life sciences, tourism and digital tech sectors.
“As well as ONE, our winner also chairs ETZ Ltd, established in 2021 to ensure that this region best utilises its global expertise in oil and gas and capitalises on the vast opportunities afforded by offshore wind, green hydrogen and carbon capture and storage.”
Meanwhile, he pointed to Sir Ian’s unwavering commitment to philanthropy, having established The Wood Foundation in 2007, now regarded as one of Scotland’s most impactful charities.
The OAA ceremony, held annually, was hosted by BBC presenter and civil engineer Ayo Sokale.
The black-tie ceremony brought together over 400 guests from across the energy sector.
Although Sir Ian was unable to attend the event in person, he filmed a short acceptance speech that was aired during the ceremony.
Here are the winners of the 2025 Offshore Achievement Awards:
Emerging Technology Award: Puls8
Field Proven Technology Award: TechnipFMC
Industry Expert Award: Professor Jon Gluyas, The National Geothermal Centre
Inclusivity Champion Award: Stork
Sustainability Project Award: Asco
Offshore Workplace of Choice: Serica – Bruce Platform
Skills Development Award: Stats Group
Industry Transferer/Returner Award: Laura Beaton, Wood
Collaboration Award: Wood
Young Professional Award: Stuart Hamilton, Fugro
Significant Contribution Judges Award: Sir Ian Wood
Additionally, several individuals and organizations were highly commended for their exceptional contributions:
Emerging Technology Award: Cavitas Energy
Inclusivity Champion Award: Weatherford
Skills Development Award: Aberdeenshire Council Foundation Apprenticeships
Young Professional Award: Nandini Nagra, BP
Conversation