MARTYN IS MAKING HIS MARK AS SENIOR ASSET CONTROLLER

Martyn Leitch

What inspires me to work at Boskalis?

Born and bred in Aberdeen, Martyn has always worked in finances in the energy sector. Now Senior Asset Controller at Boskalis Subsea Services, he’s an enthusiastic ambassador of the company’s ground-breaking Next Finance Level (NFL) initiative. “It’s quite unlike anything I’ve seen elsewhere,” he says.

Next Finance Level

NFL is about how finance contributes to the overall continuous improvement of the business itself. Developed by senior management in the Netherlands, the program is built on three pillars: human excellence, best finance IT, and operational excellence. Human Excellence includes developing and retaining staff, helping them to progress in their career. ‘Best finance IT’ speaks for itself – making sure you’ve got the best toolkit. ‘Operational excellence’ aims to establish one Boskalis way of operating. Martyn says: “This one’s very important for me. As the company grows and acquires other businesses, as we did here in Scotland recently, NFL provides the vision and structure to make sure everyone’s using the same finance package and working in the same way.”

NFL also comes with an in-company app that allows Boskalis finance colleagues around the world to connect with each other. “NFL is really a unique selling point for Boskalis. It’s a key driver for us,” Martyn adds.

Vessel costs

As Senior Asset Controller, Martyn estimates and reports on the business vessel costs, identifying opportunities for savings and flagging up risks to the management. “We have five diving support vessels (DSVs) and a construction support vessel (CSV). Running, maintaining, and repairing them makes up the biggest chunk of our business overheads so it’s vital that we get it right – for ourselves and our clients,” Martyn states. “I see the actual figures coming in and I’m always talking to our tendering team so that they can put in accurate bids for new projects.”

Growth prospects

With Boskalis since 2019, Martyn appreciates the value of working in a company with a dynamic growth agenda. “Nothing stays the same here for long. It’s great to see the company winning ambitious contracts overseas,” he observes. Father of a nine-year-old soccer player, he also enjoys the team spirit in Boskalis Aberdeen: “Everybody needs to be pushing in the same direction and I really feel like we've got that here.” 