Tel 01263 734627
Int Tel: +44 1263 734627

E-mail: peter@peterdarling.co.uk

• Communications and marketing professional with experience in strategic planning, internal communications, external marketing, media relations, project management, corporate advertising (and copy-writing), events/trade shows, sponsorship, writing and editing, and external contractor management.

• Having worked as a service engineer for 8 years in the oil+gas industry, I graduated from Imperial College (as a mature student) in 1988
• Spent the last 25 years in corporate communications and marketing, covering the oil+gas, mining, heavy construction and engineering industries
• A consummate communicator who is comfortable operating at executive- through to engineer-level in a service-orientated, engineering environment
• Equally confident articulating fresh strategic thinking, as well as providing detailed direction
• Able to adopt a collaborative style of engagement to obtain consensus for communication initiatives, from a wide range of stakeholders, and
• My background and experience sets me apart as a worldly, confident, pragmatic and self-motivated communications and marketing expert.

• Successfully run own communications and marketing consultancy for 12 years (targeting the oil+gas, mining, heavy construction and engineering industries)
• Communications and media officer at Rio Tinto
• Editor of various world-class, international technical publications
• Reserve Officer (communications squadron) Gulf War II and Afghanistan
• Managing Editor of world-renowned and respected mining handbook (3,500 pages and 250 authors), and
• Service Engineer oil+gas industry (Dowell-Schlumberger, BJ Hughes and Magcobar).

Minator Communications.
2002 - present

Job description:

• Founder and managing director of a consultancy providing communications and marketing support and services to oil+gas, mining, heavy construction and engineering companies.

Specific Achievements:

• Clients have included several oil+gas heavy-weights (BP, Schlumberger, Imperial Energy, Hess and Nautical Petroleum), equipment suppliers (Caterpillar, Atlas Copco and Trolex), as well as several significant global companies (Murphy, Tarmac, Halcrow Consultants, Vedanta Resources and Evraz).
• During this period, I was the managing editor for the US Society of Mining Engineers’ Handbook (which is often referred to as the “Miners’ Bible”).
  • This work started with a blank contents-sheet and finished after 30 months with the production (12 months ahead of schedule and within budget) of a two-volume 3,500-page masterpiece of technical and educational excellence.
• The task of single-handedly sourcing industry specialists (for writing and reviewing), commissioning chapters, organising 250 authors, some 700 industry reviewers and a remote editing staff required considerable cerebral dexterity, commitment to the task and constant diplomatic agility, especially when dealing with high-level world-class, subject matter experts.
• In addition, during the first nine years of my consultancy practice, I was a Reserve Officer in the RAF’s Press+Public Relations Squadron.
  • During this time I served in Gulf War II (Qatar, Kuwait and Iraq), as well as undertaking two tours in Afghanistan as the No2 staff officer in Helmand at NATO HQ’s communications and media unit.
  • These three postings took place in a multi-national environment, which was austere, exceptionally busy, fast changing and dynamic in nature. A clear head and an unswerving sense of mission were constantly called upon, as was a sense of humour and cherishing nature towards junior members of the unit, who frequently found themselves outside their comfort zone with no point of reference upon which to focus.
• My UK-based taskings included: planning communications strategy, obtaining senior officer buy-in and its implementation, training senior officers in communications techniques, writing key-message and lines-to-take, “simulated”-press exercises, briefing the media, organising and orchestrating press conferences, spokesman, media escort, writing press releases, liaison with senior officers of other units and other NATO-member nations, capacity building of local media, and commanding junior staff from other NATO-member countries (whilst serving at NATO’s HQ in Belgium).

Skills:

• Additional communications and marketing skills include: strategic planning, simultaneous oversight and management of a number of communications and marketing projects, co-ordinating numerous communications and marketing specific contractors/agencies, as well as briefing Board-level and senior executives
• I have extensive experience in the planning and production of various in-house and stakeholder targeted media projects, commissioning media materials, media training for senior managers, and media monitoring
• I have been part of a Group-wide re-branding exercise and the several subsequent follow-up initiatives required to reinforce corporate identity issues, and
• I am confident in photography/audio/video work, as well as researching, editing and writing annual reports, articles, technical manuals, speeches and blogs.

Rio Tinto.
1997-2002

• Rio Tinto, which is headquartered in London, is a leading international mining conglomerate. The Group which is a world leader in exploration, exploitation and processing of natural resources, concentrates on the development of first-class ore bodies into large, long-life and sustainable operations. The Group’s operations are located in some of the world’s most difficult regions in terms of terrain, climates and politics including those in Australasia, the Americas, Africa, Asia and Europe. As a blue-chip company, Rio Tinto takes great care to ensure its accountability, environmental record, social responsibility, stakeholder engagement, and corporate governance are all beyond reproach.

Job description:

• Senior corporate communications role within the External Relations Department with a wide range of responsibilities covering in-house communications, external and stakeholder engagement, special communications projects, written/audio/visual communications, as well as strategic communications planning (medium- and long-term). Prime accountabilities:
• Member of executive team providing communications advice and direction to Rio Tinto stakeholders and senior executives
• Managed press conferences for results announcements, annual reporting etc (with video conference feeds to US and Australia)
• Responsible for communications input into annual general meetings, as well as post-event summary, any subsequent follow up that was required, as well as dissemination of details to all the Group’s Business Units
• Significant input (with other stakeholders) into the Group’s communications strategy
• Sole responsibility for construction of the Group’s HQ disaster business continuity planning and implementation strategy
• Editor of in-house management newsletter (bi-monthly) for global audience
• Producer of in-house management audio CD (quarterly) for global audience
• Editor of head office newsletter for HQ employees
• Editor and producer of in-house video for global stakeholder audiences
• Implementing a Group-wide phone-based whistleblowing system
• Group co-ordinator for Corporate Crisis Management programme
• Cultivate a positive relationship with specialist business and financial media
• Manage company profile in UK and international press
• Be the first point-of-contact for all media inquiries
• Prepare briefing notes for senior executives responding to media inquiries and interviews
• Prepare media statements for Senior Management
• Provide communications advice and support to all Business Units, and
• Group information officer for public, trade, commercial and general inquiries.

Specific achievements:

• Constant reputation management, thereby ensuring that the Group was always seen as the “miner of choice” in any jurisdiction where it operated or might in the future, wish to mine
• Initiated and set up a director-level corporate crisis communications programme, with associated handbook
• Assisted with production on new Group-wide re-branding guidelines, and ensuring their global implementation
• Set up a network of in-house subject matter experts to assist with communications issues covering 60 sites in over 40 countries
• Created the Group’s first comprehensive management and subject matter experts directory, covering 2,500 senior managers in over 60 locations
• Created a data base of information relating to over 60 operations, as well as a publications register of over 30 periodicals. Re-designed and increased issue run of in-house management magazine
• Designed and launched a monthly in-house newsletter
• Re-launched a defunct corporate audio tape, as a CD
• Designed, set up and ran group video production section
• Moved from hard-copy to electronically distributed press cutting and releases
• Initiated the creation of a “spokesperson” register, matching knowledge to public speaking skills (or those capable of learning them), and
• Sole responsibility for the construction and implementing of a Group-wide phone-based whistleblowing system (which involved considerable work to obtain Board-level buy-in).

Job description:

• A number of editorial positions starting as Associate Editor before graduating to full Editor for a range of international, world-class publications including: International Mining, Tunnels & Tunnelling, International Construction, Construction Asia (launch editor), Engineering+Mining Journal, Coal (North America), Cement, Rock Products.

Specific Achievements:

• Extensive writing and editing experience, working to tight non-flexible deadlines
• Able to write eloquently and with passion about a range of engineering subjects
• The ability to keep several diametrically-opposed projects on-target, was a day-to-day requirement
• The need to supervise and enthuse junior staff and non-communication orientated colleagues, and
• Extensive overseas travel, usually without office back-up or support.

Service Engineer Oil Industry.
1978-1985

Job description and accountabilities:

• Service Engineer with Dowell-Schlumberger and later BJ Hughes (cementation, testing, stimulation, acidizing, fracking, BOP/risers/liners testing, work-overs etc).
• Magcobar (drilling fluids engineer—polymer muds, oil-based muds, salt saturated muds, work-over fluids, kill fluids etc).

Specific details:

• For the majority of my 8 years as an oilfield service engineer, I was based offshore (initially living as an expat in-country and latterly on-rotation).The majority of this offshore work was in Gabon, French-Congo, the Cameroons, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Gulf of Guinea, North Sea, Gulf of Mexico, Egypt, Tunisia and Abu Dhabi. I have also worked on-shore in Louisiana and Nigeria, and on-land in Abu Dhabi, France, England, and Angola.

Oxford University PGCE. 2013-2014
Imperial College BEng(Hons). 1985-1988
Camborne School of Mines HND. 1976-1978
Haileybury. 1970-1975

Society of Mining Engineer’s Handbook (third edition)
Crystal Identifier
Corporate Communications: a field manual (currently being scripted)
Over 400 articles published in various magazines and in-house publications

Chartered Engineer Institute of Mining,
Metallurgy and Materials (Member)
Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (Member)
US Society of Mining Engineers (Member)
Frontline Club (Member)

Widely travelled (Chile to China, La Reunion to Russia, Alaska to Australia, Mexico to Malaysia and many places in-between)
Prepared to travel/relocate
Speak French
Currently learning Spanish
Physically fit and enjoy excellent health