Following the surprise resignation of Jeff Skilling as CEO and president last month, Enron Corp. early last week promoted two company veterans from its wholesale services group to help lead the Houston energy giant.
Greg Whalley was named president and chief operating officer, and Mark Frevert was named vice-chairman. Whalley and Frevert will join Kenneth L. Lay, Enron's chairman and CEO, in the office of the chairman.
Lay, who turned over CEO responsibilities to Skilling earlier this year, took the job back after Skilling departed.
Whalley most recently was president and chief operating officer of Enron Wholesale Services, the company's gas, power, and nonenergy commodities trading division.
Prior to this promotion, Frevert had been chairman and CEO of Enron Wholesale Services. He joined Houston Natural Gas-Enron's predecessor company-in 1984.
Upstream moves
Scott D. Josey has been appointed chairman of Mariner Energy Inc., Houston. Also, Allan Keel has been named president and CEO of the privately held exploration and production company.
Mariner is majority-owned by a unit of Enron North America Corp., Houston, and has been active in exploration in the Gulf Coast area since the mid-1980s.
James E. Knight has been appointed president, chief operating officer, and a member of the board of Houston-based American International Petroleum Corp., effective Sept. 4.
Denis J. Fitzpatrick, who presently serves as AIPC's chief financial officer, has been promoted to executive vice-president and appointed to the company's board.
George N. Faris will continue as AIPC CEO until July 31, 2002, at which time Knight is expected to assume the role, subject to board approval, the company said.
With more than 30 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, Knight most recently served as president and CEO of First International Oil Corp., Houston. Knight has extensive experience in the exploration and production sector in Kazakhstan, where AIPC focuses its E&P business activities.
Before joining FIOC, Knight held numerous senior executive positions with Union Texas Petroleum Corp., Houston, during 1980-98.
Fitzpatrick has more than 25 years of experience in the oil and gas industry. Since joining AIPC 7 years ago, he has held the position of CFO, vice-president, and secretary and for the past year has been acting COO.
Antonio Cueto has been appointed chairman of Peru state oil firm Perupetro. Cueto succeeds Luis Ortigas, who will now oversee the completion of the two-stage Camisea natural gas development and transmission project-slated to go on stream by 2004-by consortiums led, respectively, by Argentine firms Pluspetrol Resources Corp. and Techint SA unit Tecgas NV.
Cueto is former general manager of Petroleos del Peru and has been general undersecretary of Montevideo-based Latin American petroleum association ARPEL.
Upon Cueto's appointment announcement, Peru's Energy and Mines Minister Jaime Quijandria said that his ministry proposes to define a new legal framework to attract renewed oil and gas exploration as quickly as possible.
Penn Virginia Corp., Radnor, Pa., has named Frank A. Pici its chief financial officer effective Sept. 1. Pici succeeds James O. Idiaquez, who is retiring.
Pici began his career in the energy sector by holding several financial positions in private coal and oil and gas companies before joining Houston-based Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. in 1989.
While at Cabot, Pici held several management positions and was named corporate controller in 1994. In 1996, Pici left Cabot to work for Mariner Energy, where he served as vice-president, finance, and chief financial officer.
Kathleen Arthur has replaced Andy Hardiman as vice-president of the Gulf of Mexico deepwater business unit of Chevron USA Produc- tion Co.
Formerly, Arthur served as managing director of Norsk Chevron AS in Oslo. She started her career with Chevron Canada Resources Ltd. and has worked at Chevron for the last 25 years, including holding a variety of project management and leadership roles in Canada and the US.
In 1991, Arthur moved to New Orleans to work as the division geologist for the Gulf of Mexico. In 1994, she returned to Canada, where she was appointed exploration coordinator. And in 1996, Arthur was appointed team leader for new ventures in Canada.
In December 1997, Arthur moved to Oslo to establish Norsk Chevron and serve in her most recent position.
Energy Partners Ltd., New Orleans, appointed Rodney Dykes vice-president, operations.
Dykes, who has held operations and management positions in the energy industry for more than 23 years, will be responsible for drilling operations.
He began his career in 1978 as a petroleum engineer with Kerr-McGee Corp., Oklahoma City, for 2 years, and then spent 14 years with Maxus Energy Corp., Dallas, holding various technical, drilling, and production management positions. (Maxus was acquired by the former YPF SA in 1995.)
He joined CMS Oil & Gas Co., Jackson, Mich., in 1994, and served as a divisional operations manager; vice-president, operations; and vice-president, business development.
Devon Energy Corp., Oklahoma City, has named Brian J. Jennings senior vice-president, corporate development. Jennings succeeds H. Allen Turner, who retired at the end of July.
Most recently, Jennings served as Devon's vice-president, corporate finance. Jennings's 17 years of oil and gas experience includes 11 years in energy investment banking. Before joining Devon, Jennings was managing director for PaineWebber Inc.'s energy investment banking group. He began his career with ARCO.
Downstream moves
Gary R. Heminger has been named president of Marathon Ashland Petroleum LLC, Findlay, Ohio. Heminger succeeds John P. Surma Jr., who was named assistant to USX-Marathon Group Chairman Thomas J. Usher.
Both appointments are effective Sept. 1. MAP owners are USX-Marathon unit Marathon Oil Co. 62% and Ashland Inc. 38%.
Heminger joined Marathon in 1975 and has held a number of managerial positions. In 1999, Heminger was named senior vice-president, business development, and assumed the responsibilities of executive vice-president, supply, transportation, and marketing in January (OGJ, Jan. 15, 2001, p. 28).
Most recently, Surma served as president of MAP's retail arm and senior vice-president, supply and transportation, before being named president of MAP in late 2000.
In addition, Jerry C. Welch has been named senior vice-president, transportation and logistics, for MAP, also effective Sept. 1. He most recently served as division manager for Catlettsburg Refining LLC, Catlettsburg, Ky.
Welch joined Houston-based Marathon Oil in 1976 and worked in a number of managerial positions in the Louisiana and Texas refining divisions before being named Indiana refining division manager in 1992. In 1994, Welch was named Illinois refining division manager, a position he held until 1998, when he assumed his current duties.
Canadian moves
Canadian Oil Sands Trust, Calgary, has appointed Marcel R. Coutu as its first CEO following its merger with Athabasca Oil Sands Trust, also of Calgary (OGJ Online, June 22, 2001).
Coutu has worked in the energy sector for more than 20 years, most recently serving as chief financial officer of Gulf Canada Resources Ltd., Calgary. He has also held several other senior financial positions within the energy industry.
John Ellwood has been appointed executive vice-president and COO of Foothills Pipe Lines Ltd., Calgary. Foothills is a joint venture company held equally by Westcoast Energy Inc. and TransCanada PipeLines Ltd., both of Calgary. In his new position, Ellwood will supervise the company's efforts to develop the Alaska Natural Gas Transportation System, which would transport natural gas from Alaska's Prudhoe Bay to the Lower 48.