The troubled firm building the Edinburgh tram network will shortly have a new chairman, if the city council votes him into office next week. This is likely to be a formality as Vic Emery, who has a reputation for troubleshooting in the shipbuilding industry, has been recommended by the council’s recruitment committee for job.
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He was chosen for daunting role after interviews on Wednesday. It comes at a time when work on the project has come to a halt as a result of a series of disputes between TIE/TEL (Transport Initiatives Edinburgh and Transport Edinburgh Limited, the council-owned companies charged with delivering the network) and the consortium which is building the trams and laying the tracks. Mr Emery currently chairs of the Scottish Police Services Authority and has led the New Campus Glasgow Project. He was credited with turning round a number of shipyards, including the Scotstoun and Govan yards on the Clyde owned by GEC Marine. He’s also held other board positions in enterprise support agencies and maritime organisations. According to Edinburgh's council leader, Jenny Dawe: “Out of a very strong field, Vic was our unanimous choice. He has everything we need for the job - outstanding interpersonal, communication, negotiation and project management skills. He will provide excellent support for the chief executive of tie and I look forward to working with him as we enter a difficult period. “We remain absolutely committed to delivering on our vision for a clean, green and efficient transport system for Edinburgh,” she added, “and I'm delighted at the prospect of Vic being part of the team that helps to achieve that.” Her view was shared by Richard Jeffrey, chief executive of TIE/Tel, who said that he and his colleagues would be “delighted to welcome Vic to the boards of both organisations. His wealth of experience from other boards will be a valuable addition as we move the project forward.” Getting the project to move at all will need all of Mr Emery’s diplomatic skills as well as his considerable management experience. The disputes between TIE/TEL and Bilfinger Berger in particular (the other members of the consortium are Siemens and CAF) are expected go to mediation in March. TIE however has lost a number of those cases which went to court. In previous interviews, he’s talked of his desire to be “hands on”. In the shipyards, he would get out on the shop floor, talking to everyone and asking pertinent questions about what was going on. He’ll need to be seen by TIE/TEL staff if only to help raise morale – the organisations have lost a number of key senior people in recent weeks. He does have a reputation for sorting out problems. While at Swan Hunter on Tyneside, he managed to transform the company’s dreadful industrial relations, rife in the industry at the time. He then moved to Canada where he helped turn round a patrol frigate programme at St John’s Shipbuilding – all that before his successful time in Glasgow. As he explains, “I have always taken a great deal of personal satisfaction from managing major projects. A position as significant as this, with such a high-profile initiative, will require all the experience I have gained in the public and private sectors over many years. It's an opportunity I very much relish.”Please support The Caledonian Mercury for just 3p a day
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