McDermott’s Mahesh Swaminathan recognised at Asian Management Excellence Awards 2025

In under two years, Mahesh transformed McDermott’s Subsea and Floating Facilities business line into a unified global vertical and one of the company’s most profitable divisions.

Mahesh Swaminathan, Senior Vice President for Subsea and Floating Facilities (SAF) at the engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) solutions provider– McDermott – brought home the Vietnam Executive of the Year in the Oil & Gas category at the coveted Asian Management Excellence Awards 2025. This recognition highlights his leadership in steering the SAF business line, whilst ensuring the successful execution of high-value offshore projects in Vietnam, across Australasia and beyond.

The PQPOC Block B project, secured as part of a consortium, is the culmination of McDermott’s two decades of work and investment in Vietnam. It reflects the company’s commitment to local partnerships, operational excellence, and delivering solutions that help address energy security needs.

Swaminathan’s ability to navigate complex market dynamics is backed by a two-decade-long career at McDermott – underlining the remarkable journey of this 100-year-old American company.

Beyond major contract wins, under Swaminathan’s guidance, the SAF business line has made measurable strides, optimising operations, enhancing client value, and integrating lower carbon solutions into projects. The latter is another of his strategic moves, aligned with McDermott’s overarching goals to reduce emissions – both operationally and for the facilities designed and built for customers.

From blending conventional EPCI practices with cutting-edge technological advancements to improving asset efficiency, the SAF business line has achieved notable milestones. Key achievements include the Derrick Lay Vessel 2000 (DLV2000) a heavy-lift and rigid pipelay vessel widely used in Asian waters being classified as SUSTAIN-1 for its environmental performance. This was the first such sustainability certification for a marine construction vessel in its class. Additionally, newest fleet member, the Amazon, an ultra-deepwater J-lay vessel is delivering highly automated pipelay operations at depths exceeding 3,000 meters.

The Asian Management Excellence Awards celebrates the most successful business leaders, innovators, and companies in Asia by recognising exceptional achievements in various domains, including employee engagement programmes, diversity and inclusion projects, and health and wellness initiatives.

The Asian Management Excellence Awards is presented by Asian Business Review Magazine. To view the full list of winners, click here. If you want to join the 2026 awards programme and be acclaimed for your company's employee engagements and management initiatives, please contact Jane Patiag at [email protected].