Richard G. Reiten, chairman and CEO of Portland, Ore.-based Northwest Natural Gas Co. (NW Natural) has been elected chairman of the American Gas Association for 2003.
Reiten joined NW Natural as president in 1996 and will retire as CEO at yearend, continuing as chairman. Mark Dodson, currently serving as NW Natural's president and chief operating officer, will succeed Reiten as CEO in 2003.
Before working for NW Natural, Reiten held executive positions at Portland General Electric, the Oregon Economic Development Department, and Nicolai Co.
Other moves
David Robson has been appointed chairman of London-based independent exploration and production company CanArgo Energy Corp. In November, Roger Brittain stepped down as nonexecutive chairman to pursue personal interests. Robson will hold the position of chairman in addition to his current responsibilities as CEO of the company.
Over the span of his career, Robson has worked as an exploration and production geologist and in petroleum engineering and commercial functions. He also served in management positions for energy companies Britoil PLC, ExxonMobil Corp. predecessor Mobil Oil Corp., and BHP Petroleum, formerly Hamilton Oil Co. Ltd.
Robson was founder and CEO of JKX Oil & Gas PLC, a UK-based E&P firm with operations in Ukraine. He also has been involved in the energy sector in the Republic of Georgia since 1992.
CanArgo has operations in Georgia, Ukraine, and in the Caspian Sea.
Donald C. Heppermann has been named senior vice-president and chief financial officer of Denver-based MarkWest Hydrocarbon Inc. and MarkWest Energy GP LLC, the general partner of MarkWest Energy Partners LP. Heppermann succeeds Gerry Tywoniuk, who has been named senior vice-president and chief financial officer of Pacific Energy GP Inc., general partner of Pacific Energy Partners LP. Tywoniuk also resigned as director of the two MarkWest companies.
Heppermann's career in the energy industry began in 1965. He has held numerous positions in operations, finance, business development, and strategic planning. During 1990-97, he served as president and chief operating officer for InterCoast Energy Co., an unregulated unit of MidAmerican Energy Co. During 1987-90, Heppermann worked as vice-president, finance, for Pinnacle West Capital Corp., the holding company for Arizona Public Service Co. He has served as a director of MarkWest Energy GP since May.
