Noble Denton’s Loss

Noble Denton Group recently lost Tony Stafford, the managing director of Noble Denton Singapore and a director of Noble Denton Holdings Ltd. Stafford, born on July 28, 1945, was killed in a traffic accident in Singapore on the evening of January 12, 2002. Stafford began his career in engineering in 1963 as an assistant engineer under training with City Engineer of Sheffield and Borough Engineer of Slough. In 1969, he attended the University of Bradford where he attained a Bachelors degree in Civil and Structural Engineering, which he followed with a Masters degree in Offshore Engineering from University of Liverpool. Upon graduation, Stafford started his career with Taylor Woodrow International as a senior then later chief engineer on various construction projects.

In March 1979, Stafford joined Noble Denton and Associates, where his engineering and managerial contributions were swiftly recognized. Starting as a Principal Engineer with their London office, he became a pivotal figure within the group. Stafford became the managing director of Noble Denton Brazil in June 1981, then moved to head the Middle Eastern operations, based in Dubai, in May 1984 before returning to Brazil in May 1986 and then to London as Managing Director in December 1986. Tony settled in Singapore in July 1993, as Managing Director of Noble Denton’s Far Eastern operations. In July 1996 Tony was appointed to the Noble Denton Group main board as Director and joint Chief Executive Officer. Stafford will be remembered by all his colleagues for the special atmosphere he could create in meetings.

Stafford’s contribution to offshore engineering was recognized by his election to the Fellowships of the Institution of Civil Engineers, the Royal Institution of Naval Architects and the Institute of Marine Engineers. Tony always lived life to the full. This joy of life was evident and often carried his friends and colleagues on to greater achievements than they had thought possible. Tony's projects and offices were always efficiently run and he expected the same disciplined approach from all his sub-ordinates. However, working with Tony was above all else great fun. Tony was a strong character but also a great manager of people. He understood the difficulties of others and frequently intervened behind the scenes with good counsel, a thoughtful word and where required resolute support. He leaves behind a large number of friends and colleagues that all consider it a privilege to have known and worked with him.