Kevin Watson is the Executive Manager for In-country Values and Business Best Practice at the Oman Society for Petroleum Services (OPAL) and leads a team of committed experts in delivering tangible improvements to the Oman Oil and Gas sector, through standardization and quality improvement projects.

During his time in Oman, Kevin has been one of the primary drivers of the Local Workforce Development project to create a sustainable system for developing National Occupational Standards and introducing Apprenticeship programs for the Oil and Gas sector.

Kevin’s belief that anyone can achieve greatness by equipping them with the right “tools”, providing a nurturing environment with the right motivations and encouraging continual personal improvements.

Before devoting his professional time to OPAL, Kevin worked for BP for 12 years on workforce Nationalization projects in Azerbaijan, and more recently Oman where he played a pivotal role in establishing a world class training facility and the development of 96 Omani technicians for the Khazzan project. Kevin has over 30 years’ experience in the Oil and Gas industry, starting out at the age of 16 as a technician apprentice in the Northeast of England he then took up a 16 year career working offshore in the UK North Sea. During this time, he added qualification from the Open university to his technical qualifications. Kevin is a member of the Institute of Electrical Technology (IET) and an avid supporter of the benefits of professional affiliation.

In addition to his work for OPAL, Kevin commits addition time to the Tanfeedh delivery team providing strategic advice and assisting with a number of National projects to improve the quality and relevancy of technical vocational education and training (TVET) in Oman.

In his spare time, Kevin can be found in the local gym keeping fit or at one of Oman’s beautiful Wadi’s indulging in his passion for wildlife photography