This week in personnel moves, one firm gains an e-commerce manager, while another gains a chief executive.
In an effort reduce its procurement costs while advancing further its electronic-business efforts, Conoco Inc. has named William "Bill" Nahill general manager, global sourcing. He is the first to hold the position at Conoco. Conoco said the appointment is "part of a continuing effort to add value and significantly reduce the company's procurement costs through strategic sourcing and e-business procurement initiatives."
"This [Nahill's appointment] is another step in Conoco's relentless effort to put new technology to work to contain costs and introduce new efficiencies to improve overall effectiveness throughout our global businesses," said Cathy Wining, general manager of Conoco's global materials and services.
Nahill joined Conoco in 1981. Prior to this appointment, Nahill served as general manager, strategy and portfolio management for the company's exploration and production business units. He also has held many other management positions-both upstream and downstream-including those overseeing development efforts in South America and the United Kingdom.
Conoco has been active in several e-business initiatives, including making equity investments in electronic trading system provider Altra Energy Technologies and in HoustonStreet Exchange, an internet-based exchange and wholesale energy production trading portal.
Conoco also is a charter supplier on the American Petroleum Exchange, an e-commerce-based wholesale trading exchange for refined products, and is one of 14 founding firms in Trade-Ranger, a worldwide procurement exchange for all integrated oil and gas industry goods and services.
Benton executive named
Independent Benton Oil & Gas Co., Carpinteria, Calif., has named Peter J. Hill as the company's president and chief executive officer. Hill had accepted the executive appointment earlier this year but needed to pursue the issuance of his employment visa, which he has since obtained.
"I am pleased to be fully on board to lead Benton as it regains its growth momentum," Hill said. "We are all very anxious to get on with the important tasks at hand of increasing production and value in Venezuela and realizing the unlocked potential in Russia."
Hill has been meeting with Benton's technical and financial staff to gain knowledge of the company's assets and operations. He also has had the opportunity to visit Benton's South Monagas project in eastern Venezuela. This month, he will visit Geoilbent and Arctic Gas Co. in Russia.
"My visit to South Monagas was extremely interesting, and I am confident that there is additional shareholder value to be delivered from that key asset. I look forward to my trip to Russia to inspect those assets and to meet our people and partners, in order to identify new strategies to maximize our asset values," Hill said.
