Flexlife has appointed Stephen Burgdorf as vice president of business development for North America, as part of the company's continuing global growth strategy.

He joins the company with nearly 20 years' experience of working within the oil & gas industry both in business development and project management.

Based in Houston, Texas, he will focus on promoting Flexlife's award-winning offshore project and integrity management services to operators in the region.

He joins Flexlife's Brazil team to focus on growth in North and South America. Until recently he played key roles in companies like Construction Technical Services Inc. and Germanisher Lloyd.

Stuart Mitchell, Flexlife's chief executive, said: "I'm delighted to welcome Stephen to Flexlife. We have ambitious expansion plans and North and South America are key locations for our international growth strategy. Stephen will have primary responsibility for developing our business in the US, with a particular focus on our range of subsea services.

"Through increasing our presence in oil and gas locations around the world we are even more available to our clients and can further develop existing and new relationships in these important regions. We have a reputation for delivering cost-effective full subsea integrity and project management packages that assist clients to manage all of their subsea assets and infrastructure, as well as for smart technology that is a true step change in the 40-year history of the industry. We offer unprecedented benefits to operators, helping to improve safety, maximize recovery and avoid unplanned shutdowns and look forward to Stephen helping us bring those benefits to the US market."

Mr Burgdorf said: "Flexlife has established itself as a client-focused, technology-driven company with a passion for delivering results and I am very excited to be joining the company. I am looking forward to capitalizing on the many opportunities for our services in the Gulf of Mexico and introducing Flexlife's field-proven solutions to the North American offshore market."

Flexlife was Scotland's fastest growing young company in 2010, reporting an increase in turnover of more than 50% for year ending 2010/11, with a rise from £4.8million to £7.5million. A further rise to £17.8million is predicted for 2011/12.

As part of the ongoing growth strategy, Flexlife has moved into premises in Brazil and taken on a new global HQ in Aberdeen. The company also operates in Africa, the Far East and Mediterranean and staff numbers globally are expected to reach 120 by the end of this year.

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