James J. O'Brien, currently serving as senior vice-president and group operating officer of Ashland Inc., has been named president and chief operating officer of the Covington, Ky.-based company, effective immediately. On Nov. 15, O'Brien also will become chairman and CEO, succeeding Paul Chellgren, who will retire.
O'Brien has 26 years of experience in Ashland's chemical and petroleum marketing operations. During 1992-94, he served as executive assistant to retired Ashland chairman John R. Hall, until O'Brien was named vice-president and general manager of branded marketing for the former Ashland Petroleum Co. He was then named vice-president of Ashland and president of Valvoline. In 1997, O'Brien was named senior vice-president of Ashland.
Chellgren has served as Ashland's CEO since October 1996 and as chairman since January 1997. He has been with the company for 28 years. In 1977, he was named administrative vice-president of Ashland Chemical Co. The next year, he became a vice-president of Ashland Chemical Group. In 1988, he was elected senior vice-president and chief financial officer of Ashland. Chellgren was elected president and chief operating officer in January 1992.
Downstream moves
Jürgen Hambrecht has been appointed chairman of BASF AG. Hambrecht succeeds Jürgen F. Strube. In addition, Eggert Voscherau will become deputy chairman. Both of these appointments will become effective May 6, 2003. Separately, Kurt Bock has been named chief financial officer for the company, succeeding Max Dietrich Kley effective Jan. 1, 2003.
Hambrecht joined BASF's polymers laboratory in 1976 where he was responsible for polystyrene, styrenic copolymers, and polyphenylene ethers. In 1985, he became head of research and purchasing at Munster-based Lacke & Farben AG, now BASF Coatings AG. In 1990, he was named president, engineering plastics division. In 1995, he became president, East Asia division.
Voscherau joined BASF in 1969. In 1981, he was named to a management position for BASF Brasileira SA and in 1986 was named president of BASF's crop protection division. Voscherau was named executive vice-president of BASF in 1991, and in 1994 he was named president of the company's Latin American North division. Presently, he serves as industrial relations and site director.
Bock joined BASF's finance department in 1985 and was named head of technology, planning and controlling, engineering plastics in 1991. During 1992-96, Bock held various management positions in finance and accounting for Robert Bosch GMBH in Germany and Robert Bosch Ltda. in Brazil. In 1998, he was named executive vice-president and chief financial officer of BASF, and in 2000, Bock was appointed president, logistics and information services, for the company.
Ken Fisher has been named chief financial officer of Shell Oil Products US, a unit of Royal Dutch/Shell Group. Before joining Shell, Fisher most recently served as chief financial officer of General Electric Co.'s aircraft engine services division, a position to which he was appointed in 1999.
Prior to that, Fisher served as chief financial officer of Stewart & Stevenson Energy Products, a unit of Stewart & Stevenson Services Inc., Houston. He also served as a director, finance and business development, for GE Plastics Pacific and as a member of the GE corporate audit staff.
Fisher joined GE's financial group in 1984 as a member of the GE financial management program and went on to hold a series of financial and operational positions in the US and in Singapore.
Phillip B. Carruthers has been named vice-president, styrenics, and president of Fina Technologies Inc., a subsidiary of Atofina Petrochemicals Inc., Houston. Prior to this appointment, Carruthers served as vice-president, polypropylene.
In his new position, Carruthers will oversee Fina Technologies' North American styrenics business. He has worked with Atofina for more than 23 years and has management and operations experience in refining, polyethylene, polypropylene, styrenics, and aromatics.
Midstream moves
Tengasco Inc., Knoxville, Tenn., has named Benton L. Becker its new chairman and Jeffrey R. Bailey president of the company.
Becker succeeds M.E. Ratliff, who remains CEO of the company. Currently, Becker is a lawyer in private practice in Coral Gables, Fla., and Washington, DC. Previously, Becker served as a trial attorney for the US Department of Justice and for the Dade County, Fla., state attorney's office.
Bailey succeeds Harold G. Morris, who has resigned from the company. Bailey joined Tengasco in March after working for more than 21 years with Halliburton Co., Dallas. Most recently, he worked as a manager in Mexico. While with Halliburton, Bailey focused on field operations and management, reservoir evaluation, log analysis, and log data acquisition.
Gary Lauderdale, senior vice-president of customer service for Williams Cos. Inc.'s natural gas pipeline business, has announced his retirement. Kim Cocklin, who currently serves as senior vice-president, planning, development, and regulatory affairs for the company's pipelines, will succeed Lauderdale.
Before being named to his current position, Lauderdale served as senior vice-president and general manager of Williams's Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Corp. He also served as senior vice-president and general manager of Williams's Texas Gas Transmission Corp. and Central Pipeline Corp.
Lauderdale began working for Texas Gas in 1967 in various accounting and rates positions. He was then promoted to vice-president, rates and planning, in 1985 and served as senior vice-president, rates and finance, and treasurer during 1989-95. Lauderdale will assist with the changeover through the end of next month.
Other moves
Tim Bullock has been appointed president of BP PLC's North American gas and power unit based in Houston. Bullock succeeds Tony Fountain, who is transferring to BP's London headquarters to serve as chief operating officer for the company's global energy supply and trading business.
Currently, Bullock serves as the head of BP's European gas and power, finance, and chemicals trading unit based in London. Previously, Bullock served as vice-president for the company's European supply and logistics group.
Bullock, who joined BP in 1983, has held a number of international trading posts as well as business development roles in Europe, Asia, and Africa.
Fountain, during his 18-year career with BP, worked in North America and Europe.
In his new position, he will oversee all of BP's worldwide supply and energy merchant businesses, including North American gas and power as well as oil, finance, and chemicals.
Robert L. Sebastian has been appointed leasing program manager, leasing activities section, for the US Minerals Management Service's office of leasing and environment, where he will oversee policy, planning, adjudication, and sales.
Most recently, Sabastian worked as a contracts manager and a business manager for the $2.6 billion Caspian Pipeline Co. project in Russia. He began working on the project in August 1998. Prior to that, he held a staff position in Chevron Corp.'s Gulf of Mexico offshore exploration division, a position he started in 1995. During 1992-95, Sabastian was manager of contracts and insurance for Tengizchevroil in London.
In 1980, Sebastian joined Chevron in New Orleans and held various positions there from 1980-92, including land attorney and district supervisor in the offshore land division, working in the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic OCS areas.
