John N. Seitz, currently serving as president and chief operating officer of Houston-based Anadarko Petroleum Corp., has been elected to the position of CEO. Robert J. Allison Jr., Anadarko's current chairman and CEO, will remain chairman of the company.
Seitz joined Anadarko as an exploration geologist in 1977. In 1989, he was named vice-president, exploration and production operations. In 1997, Sietz was promoted to executive vice-president, exploration and production, and elected to the company's board. Seitz was named president and chief operating officer in 1999.
Allison joined Anadarko in 1977 as vice-president, operations. In 1976, he was promoted to president and in 1979 assumed the role of CEO of the company. When Anadarko was spun off from Panhandle Eastern Pipe Line Co. in 1986, Allison assumed the role of chairman.
A number of other oil and gas companies-across all industry sectors-also have named new executives.
Upstream moves
Lee Boothby will be named president of Newfield Mid-Continent Inc., a unit of Newfield Exploration Co., Houston. Currently, Boothby serves as managing director, Newfield Exploration Australia Ltd.
Boothby will replace former Newfield Midcontinent president Randy Foutch, who will leave the company effective Mar. 1. Foutch was the founder and president of Houston-based Lariat Petroleum Inc., which Newfield acquired in early 2001.
Boothby joined Newfield in 1999 in his present position. Before joining Newfield, Boothby served as manager, acquisitions and development, for Cockrell Oil & Gas LP, Houston.
Replacing Boothby as managing director of Newfield's Australian unit will be Jim Eisterhold. Eisterhold currently serves as production engineer for Newfield's Gulf of Mexico east division and has been with the company since 1994.
Prior to joining the company, Eisterhold served as production superintendent with Columbia Gas Development Corp., Houston.
David Briggs has been named vice-president, land, for Legacy Resources Co. LP, Metairie, La. Briggs is a certified professional landman and has more than 25 years of experience.
Midstream moves
J. Douglas Whisenant has been promoted to president and CEO of Williams Cos. Inc.'s interstate natural gas pipeline division.
Whisenant served as senior vice-president and general manager of the Tulsa-based firm's Western US pipelines.
Whisenant joined Williams in 1978 and served in several positions of increasing responsibility. He was named to his present position in 1992.
Robert L. Sluder has been promoted to replace Whisenant in his previous position. Most recently, Sluder served as vice-president, operations, for the company's Western US pipelines.
Sluder joined Williams in 1981 and was named to his current position in 1997 after managing the construction and operation of the Kern River Natural Gas Pipeline.
Downstream moves
Samuel J. Mitchell, Jr., has been named president of Valvoline Co. and vice-president of Ashland Inc., Dublin, Ohio. In his new position, Mitchell will be responsible for Valvoline's worldwide marketing of motor oils, automotive appearance products, automotive chemicals, and the quick-lube business.
Mitchell joined Valvoline in 1997 as the director of brand marketing and was named vice-president, marketing, in August 1999. Since October 2000, he has served as vice-president and general manager, retail business.
Prior to joining Ashland, Mitchell worked for Clorox Co. in various leadership positions in brand and category management for 8 years.
Ashland Specialty Chemical Co., a unit of Ashland, named Jiang Fu and Ruben Bake to the newly created positions of market development managers.
Fu and Bake, to be based in Dublin, will work for the unit's senior management assisting in the development and implementation of various global strategic initiatives.
Fu previously served as general manager of the unit's new plant in China-Ashland (Changzhou) Chemical Co. Ltd. Fu joined Ashland in 1992 as a technical service representative and was named chief representative for the company's Beijing office in 1995.
Bake most recently served as a business development specialist for Ashland Specialty Chemical Co.'s business development group. Bake joined Ashland in 1998 as a marketing specialist. In addition, he has held commercial and sales positions with Freemarkets Inc., E.I. DuPont de Nemours, and Ashland Distribution Co. and has significant work experience in Europe and South America, including Brazil.