Today marks the start of Scottish Careers Week and we spoke to Daniel Moloney, Business Director for our Energy & Infrastructure sectors, about his role, his progression within the organisation and his commitment to supporting others to achieve their ambitions. 

I started in hospitality at 14 years old, washing up in a local pub. I quickly fell in love with the industry and moved to a busier venue where I began cooking. After completing my Level 1 and 2 in Professional Cookery and Hospitality, I joined the hotel sector where I worked my way up from supervisor to manager while doing my Level 3 NVQ. I won Apprentice of the Year for the area during that time and I was hooked!

At this point, I started to explore working offshore – I’d heard about the sector and it really appealed due to the opportunities available and the work-life balance offered by the shift patterns. At 19, I joined ESS on a six-month contract as a steward. I was young, keen and loved meeting people from different areas and backgrounds – I immediately felt at home.

The head chef spotted my culinary skillset on the first night and a couple of trips in I got the opportunity to step up as the butcher was unable to mobilise. Butchery for 500 customers a day was definitely great practice! Having established myself in the galley, I was offered a chef role on a new platform when my contract expired. It’s been a brilliant and fast-paced journey from there!

In the new contract, I put myself forward for development and was grateful to receive excellent support. After 18 months, I completed my first trip as a chef manager, taking responsibility for the welfare and housekeeping services for 130 customers on board. I subsequently worked on several offshore assets, while completing an SVQ Level 7 in Management – I loved learning and putting the theory into practice in my role.

When an operations manager role came up in 2021, I was apprehensive but applied and was successful. I then progressed to head of operations and focused on stretching myself further. I got involved in projects, tenders and client-facing meetings outside of my own contracts and really immersed myself in it. When our long-standing business director retired in April 2026, I was delighted to be offered the role – now I’m looking excitedly towards the future and thinking about the positive impact I can have. 

This career progression is fantastic for me, and one of the things I’m most excited about is the chance to pay forward the amazing opportunities I’ve had. I want to support the future of the business by giving my teams and their teams the necessary stepping stones to achieve their own ambitions and fulfil their potential. I’ve seen some great examples of this earlier in my management career, with people finding their passions and building on these – it’s something I’m extremely committed to.

When it comes to working in FM, the people will always be my favourite part of the job. We have over 1,000 great colleagues across the Energy and Infrastructure businesses, with some brilliant characters from a wide range of backgrounds. Our teams genuinely care about our customers and understand that small personal touches can make a big difference. That human element is what brings FM to life.