Three decades later: Nigel Dillon’s journey from Trainee to Managing Director

Over the last thirty years, Nigel has built LDG into a respected and trusted business, progressing from trainee engineer to business owner and leader. His career embodies the entrepreneurial spirit, technical excellence and professional integrity that define LDG today.

From his early days receiving heavily red-inked reports to leading a company through decades of growth and change, Nigel’s story is one of calculated risk, unwavering support and an uncompromising commitment to quality.

To better understand the journey that led to LDG’s integration with SOCOTEC, we sat down with Nigel to reflect on his career.

Nigel on… his early career beginnings

“I started my career in the early 90’s as a trainee with a consultancy firm Kirk McClure & Morton (now RPS Belfast), learning the fundamentals of an engineering consultant that offered a wide array of services at the time under some exceptional mentors.

“My former boss at the time was incredibly demanding. Every time I submitted a report, where I thought I was doing really well, having spent a lot of time typing and printing on an old dot matrix printer, when I handed it in, there was more red ink on it than black ink from my printer.

“At the time, I was very resentful. I thought, ‘Am I never going to get this right?’ But what he was actually doing was teaching me how to write technical reports properly, how to present facts clearly and how to maintain the highest possible standards.

“Those lessons stayed with me throughout my entire career.”

Nigel on… the mentors who shaped him

“There are several people I’m incredibly grateful to. My former bosses at Kirk McClure & Morton, and other partners in the business at the time all played a crucial role in my development.

“They taught me that excellence wasn’t optional, it was the baseline. They pushed me to be better, to think critically and to never compromise on quality.”

Nigel on… running LDG

“When I took on the business in 1999, I was fortunate to have clients who believed in me. People like Tom Upritchard, Pat Fox, Rory O’Rourke and companies like Datum, Taranto de Pol, Murphy Piling, Cainwhite and FK Piling were incredibly important in those early days.

“There was a real demand for change in quality assurance for piled foundations, and all they wanted was someone with the energy and drive to go out and deliver it. I was fortunate to have clients who were willing to take a chance on me.

“It’s also important to have the right staff from the bottom up in any business. These people are the building blocks and working mechanism of daily life within any business.”

Nigel on… building LDG’s reputation

“We’ve had ups and downs over the years with the economic crash of 2008, and then COVID in 2020 - but thankfully, we pivoted and reimagined ourselves. The key has always been maintaining close relationships with clients, delivering quality work and being flexible enough to adapt to changing market demands sometimes out of strategy, often out of necessity, ‘always with belief’.”

“We built LDG on the principle that your reputation is everything in this industry. One poor report, one missed deadline, one compromise on quality and you can damage relationships that took years to build.”

Nigel on… the SOCOTEC acquisition

“We’re several months into the acquisition now, and I’m really enjoying it. The integration has been positive, and there’s genuine potential for growth.

“The future for us is that we’re going to grow slightly differently. Many of the services that SOCOTEC offers across France and the UK are likely to be introduced to the Irish market over the next 12-18 months.

“I hope I can play my part in seeing the company grow and develop even further.”

Nigel on… the challenges of work-life balance

“One of the biggest challenges for business owners is finding time for the work/life balance. I’ve found myself sneaking away from meetings earlier than expected just to get other work done. Or maybe attend a school sports day or a school rugby match - these are not bad things, as I have learnt you don’t get a second chance to wind back the clock.

“I encourage all business owners to not reject a personal matter over business, but instead find another way!”

Nigel on… the role of family support

“My wife, in particular, never once said: ‘Nigel, don’t go and do that’. Instead, she always said, ‘You’ll know the right answer, and I’ll support you.’ Being able to look back over 30 years now, this means a great deal to me.

“When you’re an entrepreneur taking risks, there’s no doubt there were plenty of risks, but having that support at home is invaluable. I’d like to think they were calculated risks, although I’m not entirely sure I’d agree with that assessment myself – but, ultimately, they were good fun.

“I also want to acknowledge the support I’ve received over the years from my brother and sister, and, of course, my three sons.”

Nigel on… gratitude and reflection

“When you have a career like this, it’s nice to have the opportunity to say thank you. I’ve thanked many of these individuals privately over the years, but it’s important to acknowledge them publicly too.

“The mentors who influenced and pushed me, the clients who believed in me, the family who supported me and the staff that made all of this possible - they’ve all played a part in this journey, and I’m very grateful to every one of them.”