Three US independent exploration and production companies have recently made key executive appointments.
H. Craig Clark has been named president and chief operating officer of Forest Oil Corp., Denver. Most recently, Clark served as executive vice-president, US operations, with Apache Corp., Houston, and has served in various exploration, production, and marketing capacities at Apache since 1989.
Stephen C. Hurley has been named executive vice-president, worldwide exploration, for Hunt Oil Co., Dallas. Hurley joins Hunt Oil following the company's recent acquisition of Chieftain International Inc., Edmonton, Alta. (OGJ, July 9, 2001, p. 26).
Prior to joining Hunt, Hurley served as senior vice-president and chief operating officer at Chieftain, which he joined in 1995.
Starting in 1991, Hurley served as vice-president, exploration and production, for Murphy Exploration & Production Co., a unit of Murphy Oil Corp., El Dorado, Ark. He also held a number of technical and management positions at Ocean Drilling Exploration Co., which he joined in 1979, including: exploration manager in 1981; general manager, exploration, in 1984; and vice-president, exploration, in 1987.
Hurley began his career with Exxon Co. USA.
Meanwhile, Houston-based Ocean Energy Inc. has appointed Winston M. Talbert vice-president and treasurer. Talbert joined Ocean Energy as assistant treasurer in 1999.
Prior to working for Ocean Energy, Talbert was assistant treasurer for PennzEnergy Co., Houston, the successor exploration and production company to Pennzoil Co. Prior to that firm's reorganization, Talbert served as manager, international finance.
Talbert has held numerous managerial positions in the areas of corporate development and finance for Halliburton Co., Dallas, and its subsidiary Kellogg Brown & Root. He also held positions with Destec Europe SA and Destec Energy Inc., units of Houston-based Dynegy Inc.
Other upstream moves
Peter H. Blum has been named executive vice-president of Mallon Resources Corp., Denver, effective Sept. 1.
Blum has been a director of Mallon since 1998 and has served as an energy company advisor for the past 20 years. Blum also served as president of Bear Ridge Capital LLC.
Prior to that, he was senior vice-president and head of investment banking for GBI Capital Partners, now Ladenburg Thalman Financial Services Inc., New York City. Before that, he was head of the energy and merger and acquisition groups at Mabon Securities and Rodman & Renshaw.
While at Mallon, Blum will oversee corporate development, including acquisitions, joint ventures, and capital procurement.
Joseph T. Williams, currently chairman of DevX Energy Inc., will assume the additional roles of president and CEO of the Dallas-based firm. The change comes after DevX's announcement to close its Ottawa, Ont., office in an effort to "consolidate and streamline management and administrative functions" into the company's corporate office.
Williams's appointment, which became effective Sept. 1, coincides closely with the departure of E.J. Munden, who served as DevX's Ottawa-based president and CEO and was leading founder of the company's predecessor. Munden chose not to relocate to the firm's Dallas headquarters.
In addition, DevX has promoted two vice-presidents.
Ron Idom has been promoted to senior vice-president, operations, and William W. Lesikar has been named senior vice-president and chief financial officer.
Downstream moves
A number of key executives for Tesoro Refining Marketing & Supply Co., a wholly owned unit of Tesoro Petroleum Corp., San Antonio, are moving to the company's recently opened Long Beach, Calif., office.
The new office "is part of the company's plan to expand its refining and marketing strategy in California," Tesoro said.
Relocating to the new office from San Antonio are Bob Mills, vice-president, commercial marketing, light products; Jeff Fabian, general manager, commercial marketing, aviation fuels; and Ed Clark, general manager, commercial marketing, light products-Southwest and California.
In addition, Joe Sparano, vice-president, commercial marketing, heavy fuels, will relocate to Long Beach from Tesoro's Auburn, Wash., office sometime in the near future. Meanwhile, Jerry Mouser, executive vice-president, commercial marketing, for the Tesoro unit will continue working from the San Antonio office and will head Tesoro's West Coast commercial marketing operations.