Athens Group Appoints Director of Quality

Continued Growth Drives Greater Investment in QHSE Program

(PRWEB) August 26, 2010 -- Today, Athens Group announced the appointment of David Wight as the company’s new Director of Quality. Mr. Wight joined Athens Group in 2006 and was previously responsible for creating global solution delivery processes, including the Athens Group Quality Management System (AGQMS). In his new role, he will coordinate the company’s continual improvement program and will oversee AGQMS, enabling the company to consistently use their Proven Practices Methodology to provide cost-effective risk mitigation and problem remediation services for control systems on offshore assets. He will be directly responsible for:

*Ensuring that AGQMS supports the continued delivery of efficient, specialized services and
*Providing the Athens Group global solution delivery organization with the most effective quality assurance processes, tools and systems

“Now more than ever, drilling contractors and operators expect everyone working on their rigs to have a plan to ensure a successful and safe project,” said Nestor Fesas, Athens Group’s vice president of global solution delivery. “One of the ways we exceed our customers’ expectations is by designing detailed project quality plans based on data gathered from a variety of sources including regional operating requirements, HSE best practices, cross-industry engineering standards, and the vast experience that is captured in our Drilling Technology Assurance Knowledge Base. The template for creating these plans is one of the key tools included in our comprehensive AGQMS, which was recently audited and validated by one of our customers.”

Wight has over 30 years of experience delivering quality hardware and software systems and has spent 15 years in the oil and gas exploration industry. Prior to joining Athens Group, he worked as the vice president of corporate quality at a major medical device company. He holds a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin, as well as a number of certifications including: Manager of Quality/Organization Excellence from the American Society for Quality (ASQ); and Project Management Professional from the Project Management Institute (PMI). Wight has served as a Lead Examiner for organizational quality based on the Baldridge Criteria and has been a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) for over two decades.

About Athens Group

The high rate of non-productive time (NPT) and project delays on today’s highly-automated offshore assets is unacceptable! Drilling Contractors and Operators rely on Athens Group to help them reduce NPT, improve safety and safeguard the environment through the prevention of software-related equipment failures. Our Drilling Technology Assurance Services were developed specifically for highly integrated control systems and are tailored for each phase of the asset lifecycle. Athens Group has more expertise in this specialized area than any other vendor. Our Proven Practices Methodology; software, hardware, and network topology experience; and vendor equipment experience speed risk identification and mitigation. This is why the cost ratio of our services to NPT savings typically exceeds 1:100. Our customers, industry-leading companies such as Anadarko, BP, Chevron, ENI, ExxonMobil, Maersk, Marathon, Noble Drilling, Pacific Drilling, Shell, Stena Drilling, Total and Transocean, to name just a few, are all referenceable.

For more information about Athens Group please visit www.athensgroup.com

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