John Tiratsoo was editor of the Pipelines International Digest. Before starting Pipelines International Digest, John was the editor GPM and of the independent UK-based magazine Pipeline World, the successor to Pipes & Pipelines International, for over 20 years. Prior to this, he achieved chartered (professional) status as a civil engineer and spent his early career building roads and bridges in the UK for the Department of Transport. He then moved to join Sir Alexander Gibb and Partners in East Africa, where he spend a year in Tanzania building roads, two years based in Nairobi on a variety of projects, and two years in the bush in Malawi as an engineer on a major water-treatment and pipeline project for Blantyre.

Having returned to the UK and unpacked, he joined Scientific Surveys Ltd, publisher of Pipes & Pipelines International, in 1979. Since then he has become an active member of the Pipeline Industries Guild, sitting on its committees, its Council, and now its Board (as an ex-officio member). Part of his work with the Guild involves editing and publishing its journal, and the annual Pipeline Industry Directory, its directory of members.

John has initiated a number of successful conference series, dealing with pipeline pigging, pipeline integrity, and with pipeline risk management and reliability. These events are now held in Houston, Amsterdam, and elsewhere, and are combined with successful series of industry-based training courses. The series of conferences on pipeline pigging has resulted in three editions of the book Pipeline Pigging Technology, which John has also edited and published.

As an independent magazine, Pipeline World is regularly read by over 5000 readers world-wide, including members of the US-based Pipeline Research Council International (PRCI) and the predominantly UK-based members of the Pipeline Industries Guild. The magazine covers pipes of all types, from around 6in diameter upwards, and John tries to feature news equally from the oil, gas, water, sewerage, on- and offshore industries. It is, of course, not always possible to be completely even-handed editorially in any particular issue, but over a year it is hoped that the balance is maintained.