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Ex-daily editor lands role advising oil well decomissioning outfit

DBA former regional daily editor has landed a new role advising a company which helps decommission offshore wells.

Damian Bates left Aberdeen daily the Press & Journal in August after four years in charge, and 15 years of service with parent company DC Thomson.

He has since launched his owned consultancy called Abraitis and Co, and has now been appointed to work with Well-Safe Solutions.

In his role, Damian will be tasked with providing guidance and support to the company’s senior management team on government policy and political relations.

Mark Patterson, founder and executive director of Well-Safe Solutions, said: “Damian brings a wealth of experience and knowledge of the political sphere in Scotland, the UK and beyond and will help us navigate our way through what can be a very challenging environment.

“We’re very excited that Damian’s first client – just a few weeks since stepping down from one of the UK’s most prestigious media roles – is Well-Safe. We’re building a team of real heavyweights in their own fields and people are really sitting up and taking notice of what we’re doing.

“Our ambition however stretches beyond the North Sea to deliver a truly global offering. Already, we are getting significant interest and endorsement from some of the biggest players in the UKCS [United Kingdom Continental Shelf] and beyond.”

The specialist well abandonment company was launched in July this year and now employs over 22 people at its newly refurbished Aberdeen headquarters.

Damian, pictured above left, said: “I’ve been really impressed by Well-Safe and have been speaking to Mark for several months about working alongside his team.

“Well-Safe Solutions is an incredibly exciting company with some of the best practitioners in the industry and I was really keen to join what is clearly going to be a real success story.”