For human resources provider Sheffield Green, the offshore wind energy sector has been the gale in its sails. It is now a market leader in Taiwan, with operations in Singapore, South Korea, Japan and Poland, after CEO Bryan Kee spun it off in 2021 from his other recruitment firm, Sheffield Energy, which specialises in the oil and gas industry.
Kee, who is also Sheffield Green’s chairman, says that he saw an opportunity to diversify into the offshore wind energy industry in 2015 during a downturn in the oil and gas industry when many professionals were retrenched. He adds: “The skill sets needed for offshore oil and gas and offshore wind are similar and transferable.”
“In both sectors, you build structures on land before installing them in the sea. It’s actually quite easy for someone who has worked in offshore oil and gas to get a job in offshore wind, although, of course, you need some training.” At the same time, Sheffield Energy’s oil and gas clients were themselves delving into renewable energy projects.
Kee targeted the nascent offshore wind energy market as the profit margins were higher than in the mature solar and onshore wind power ones. Sheffield Green took on a few projects in the European Union as the offshore wind space was taking off there, then made a push into Taiwan in 2018 when the government was offering support for renewable energy projects.
Now, Sheffield Green works with firms across the entire value chain of the offshore wind power sector and Kee is seeing continued growth in the future. “With most countries in the world going into major construction for offshore wind farms, there is and will be huge demand for skilled workers, in construction and then in operations and maintenance,” he says.
The Global Wind Organisation (GWO) has estimated that the wind energy sector will need nearly 600,000 technicians between 2023 and 2027 for anticipated projects. With too few people in the workforce, about 43% of them will have to be recruited from an education pipeline or other sectors. “This is a massive opportunity for us,” Kee adds.
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Thriving through training
To capitalise on this demand, Sheffield Green will open its first training centre in Taiwan in October after it completes two audits by the GWO to receive its accreditation. “We are also in the midst of acquiring a second training centre in Spain. Branching out into training will give us another revenue stream and help to further grow our business.”
Kee says: “Training is not something new to us, as a human resources company providing manpower. In the past, we sent our personnel to various training centres. By opening our own training centres, we can complement our existing services and also better address the needs of customers who require training for their staff.”
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The expansion will also differentiate it from its competitors. He continues: “Most recruitment firms are just moving people from one company to the next. Even though they know there is a shortage of skilled workers in the industry, they are not diversifying into training or making investments in this area.”
“We are going to train more people and get them into the industry and that will set us apart.” Sheffield Green’s curriculum will begin with the basic safety training course that is mandatory for those who want to work in the offshore wind energy sector. By the end of this year, it will add basic technical and advanced rescue training courses.
While Sheffield Green achieved record revenue growth and gross profit in the 2023 financial year, with y-o-y increases of 255.4% and 528.3%, respectively, offering training could usher in even better results. “The profit margin in supplying training is far higher than in providing human resources,” Kee explains.
The firm plans to develop its training business both organically and through acquisitions. “In newer markets such as Japan, South Korea and the Philippines, we will set up our own training centres. In more mature markets like Europe, where it will be difficult for us to compete with existing companies, our strategy will be acquisitions.”
A lean and keen team
To realise its ambitions, it is also assembling the right team. “We have a lean organisation, but that works for us. I don’t believe in having a large headcount. It’s not about the number of people you have, but whether the ones you have are good and efficient. That’s why we are very selective and spend a lot of time on interviewing candidates.”
“We place great value on people who have a positive attitude and are willing to learn, partly because the offshore wind energy industry is so new in the region. You have to be interested in joining this new sector and learning along the way. To me, if you are willing to learn, we are always willing to teach,” Kee says.
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His vision is to build Sheffield Green into a global powerhouse. “Most of our clients work on projects around the world, so with a strong track record and relationship with them, we can follow them where they go and be an international player instead of only a regional one. If we are in more markets, we can also reposition our focus if issues arise in any of them.”
Although onshore solar panels and wind turbine installations are more established and can generate renewable energy at a lower cost than offshore wind power farms, many countries face land limitations when deploying the former. “This means that we will have chances for growth in a variety of different markets.”
Meanwhile, Sheffield Green is looking into other openings. “Green hydrogen is one area that we are paying a lot of attention to because it is quickly emerging as a transformative force in the shift towards clean energy. We want to make sure that we are involved in the journey in terms of recruiting people with the necessary skill sets and certifications.”
The firm is also considering staking a place in the operations and maintenance segment of the offshore wind energy sector. Kee says: “As more offshore wind farms become operational, that is going to be an ever-larger part of the industry. By combining that with our human resources and training businesses, we can become a one-stop solution for customers worldwide.”
About Sheffield Green
Sheffield Green is a human resource services provider for the renewable energy industry headquartered in Singapore, with subsidiaries incorporated in Singapore, Japan, Poland and South Korea, as well as a branch office registered in Taiwan. The group provides human resource services for engineering, procurement, construction and installation (“EPCI”), which works in the renewable energy industry and includes onshore wind, offshore wind, solar and green hydrogen.
Most of the group’s business consists of projects from the offshore wind sector. The group also specialises in providing human resource services throughout the entire renewable energy value chain. The company’s website is www.sheffieldgreen.com
About kopi-C: The Company Brew
kopi-C is a regular column by SGX Research in collaboration with Beansprout (https://growbeansprout.com), a MAS-licensed investment advisory platform that features C-level executives of leading companies listed on SGX. These interviews are profiles of senior management aimed at helping investors better understand the individuals who run these corporations
