Penspen Strengthens Senior Leadership with Strategic Appointments

Penspen has announced a series of senior appointments as part of its strategy to support continued business growth and deliver complex projects across key global markets.

These hires – including the appointment of a new Chief Financial Officer – will play a pivotal role in enhancing Penspen’s operational capabilities and expanding its presence across the energy sector.

The announcement comes at a significant point in the company’s growth trajectory, as Penspen delivers on major contracts such as the detailed engineering scope for the HyNet CO₂ transportation pipeline in Liverpool Bay, and a hydrogen gap analysis for the Trans Adriatic Pipeline, part of the EU’s Southern Gas Corridor.

Penspen also recently marked a major milestone by relocating to new premises in Aberdeen to support several flagship projects.

New Appointments

Graeme Maude – Chief Financial Officer

Graeme joins Penspen as CFO, based at the company’s headquarters at 150 Holborn, London.

A Chartered Accountant, Graeme began his career with Deloitte before holding senior finance roles at multinational firms including Atlas Copco and Fullers. He then spent 25 years in the recruitment sector, starting as European CFO for US-listed staffing firm Spherion, before progressing into operational leadership roles in the UK and internationally including Singapore and Hong Kong.

In 2019, he joined Dutch-listed energy and engineering recruiter Brunel International as Chief Operating Officer, where he led operations across the Americas, oversaw M&A activity, and shaped group strategy. His experience at Brunel sparked a deep interest in the energy sector – a key driver behind his move to Penspen.

Chris Wood – Director of Asset Integrity (Europe)

Chris Wood joins the Europe Leadership Team as Director of Asset Integrity, based in Penspen’s Newcastle office and reporting directly to CEO Peter O’Sullivan.

A Chartered Mechanical Engineer with 20 years of experience, Chris has worked across the oil & gas, nuclear, and subsea sectors. His early career focused on product design and development, with a later shift toward asset integrity management, full-scale testing, and R&D.

He joins Penspen following nine years at Rosen, where he served as Principal Engineer and Lead Process Professional. His previous roles include positions at Technip Umbilicals, FlexLife, and Soil Machine Dynamics.

Tim Sell – Manager of Proposals (Europe)

Tim brings over 25 years of experience in energy and engineering to his new role as Manager of Proposals (Europe), based at 150 Holborn. He will report to the Director of Sales & Marketing (Europe).

Tim spent the last 12 years at Wood’s offshore and agile projects business, progressing from Information Management Department Manager to senior commercial and business management roles. He led the development and pricing of proposals ranging from £200k to over £50M for both onshore and offshore upstream assets in oil, gas, and renewables.

Earlier in his career, Tim delivered IT projects across energy, rail, and financial services sectors, with a focus on information and document management systems and associated business change.

Peter O’Sullivan, Chief Executive Officer said: “Graeme, Chris and Tim bring invaluable expertise and insight to our team, reinforcing our commitment to building a strong, forward-focused business. Penspen is delivering technically complex projects around the world and playing a key role in supporting the energy transition, which makes having the right talent, in the right place, more important than ever.

“We’re proud to be shaping the future of energy access and sustainability for communities worldwide. As we continue to grow our team, we look forward to expanding our impact through our global practice.”

For media enquiries, please contact: 

• Colene Woolcott, Director of Communications & Marketing, Penspen: c.woolcott@penspen.com