Companies naming new top executives include Petroleo Brasileiro SA, Imperial Oil Ltd., Piedmont Natural Gas Co., National Fuel Gas Co., and Zion Oil & Gas Inc.
Petrobras Pres. Henri Philippe Reichstul resigned effective Dec. 31, 2001, for health and personal reasons. Brazil´s President Fernando Henrique Cardoso named Francisco Gros to head Petrobras.
Gros was formerly president of Brazil´s National Economic and Development Bank (BNDES), that country´s largest investment bank.
Reichstul resigned during Petrobras´s best financial performance since it was founded in 1953. It posted record net profit of $5 billion at the end of 2000 and net profit of $2.69 billion in the first half of 2001.
Toronto-based Imperial Oil appointed Tim J. Hearn as president and a director effective Jan. 1.
An employee of Imperial Oil, Hearn had been on loan assignment as vice-president, human resources, with ExxonMobil Corp. He joined Imperial Oil as a marketing representative in 1967 and held various management positions in marketing, logistics, and systems and computer services.
Hearn was named vice-president, marketing retail, for Imperial in 1986 and vice-president, marketing retail and commercial business, in 1990.
In 1992, Hearn accepted a loan assignment as worldwide vice-president of intermediates for Exxon Chemical Co. From 1994-97, he served as president of Exxon Chemical Asia Pacific based in Singapore.
In 1997, Hearn served as executive assistant to the chairman of Exxon until his appointment as vice-president of human resources for Exxon in 1998. Following the merger of Exxon Corp. and Mobil Corp. in late 1999, he was appointed to his current position.
Bob B. Peterson, currently chairman, CEO, and president of Imperial Oil will continue to serve as chairman and CEO.
Other appointments
Thomas E. Skains has been elected president and chief operating officer of Piedmont Natural Gas, Charlotte, NC, effective Feb. 22.
Skains also has been nominated to stand for election to the board, said CEO Ware F. Schiefer, who will retain his position.
Before joining Piedmont in April 1995, Skains was employed by Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Corp. as senior vice-president, transportation and customer services. He joined Transco in 1981 as an attorney and served as corporate and senior attorney before being named vice-president in 1986 and senior vice-president in 1989.
Skains is being promoted to president from senior vice-president, marketing and supply services. He has been responsible for directing Piedmont´s commercial natural gas activities, including retail and wholesale gas sales and marketing, gas supply planning and procurement, retail gas transportation services and throughput management and non-utility joint venture project development and management.
Philip C. Ackerman was elected chairman of National Fuel Gas Co., Buffalo, NY, effective Jan. 3. He became National Fuel CEO in October 2001 and succeeds Bernard J. Kennedy in both capacities.
Ackerman joined the company in 1968 and has been National Fuel president since July 1999, a director since 1994, and he was named chief financial officer in 1981.
Zion Oil & Gas, Dallas, has made several executive-level appointments including the naming of a president and chief operating officer.
Zion has named Eugene A. Soltero president and chief operating officer; Glen H. Perry executive vice-president; Eliezer Kashai vice-president, exploration, and Elisha Roih vice-president, administration, Israeli operations.
Soltero has served as CEO of Cotton Valley Resources Corp. (now Aspen Group Resources Corp.), chairman and CEO of Aztec Energy Corp., president and chief operating officer of American International Petroleum Corp., and president and CEO of Cimarron Resources Inc.
Perry, has been consulting with Zion for 3 years. For the previous 5 years he worked for National Petroleum Ltd., serving as manger of project development in the former CIS countries and managing director of a production enhancement project in the republic of Georgia.
Kashai has more than 50 years of geologic experience in Israel. For almost 30 years, he was with Lapidoth Israel Oil Prospectors Company Ltd. and Oil Exploration Investment Ltd.
Roih previously served as general manager of Lapidoth, Israel Oil Prospectors Co. Ltd. Previously his positions included deputy general manager of the Israel National Oil Co.
Zion Oil & Gas and its predecessor companies have been working in Israel since 1986 to acquire petroleum rights from the Israeli government.
Upstream moves
Nuevo Energy Co., Houston, named Janet F. Clark as senior vice-president and chief financial officer, replacing Robert M. King who resigned to pursue other interests. Clark´s responsibilities will include financial reporting, accounting, corporate finance and development, commercial and investment banking relationships, and investor relations.
During 1997-2000, Clark was executive vice-president of corporate development, senior vice-president and chief financial officer for Santa Fe Snyder Corp. and its predecessor, Santa Fe Energy Resources Inc.
Nuevo also hired George B. Nilsen as senior vice-president, planning and asset management. Nilsen brings more than 20 years of domestic and international experience in the oil and gas industry. Before joining Nuevo, Nilsen was an independent consultant for small independent exploration and production companies.
Nilsen previously held management positions with Santa Fe Snyder Corp. and Santa Fe Energy Resources Inc. Before that, he worked for Petro-Lewis Corp. in Bakersfield, Calif.
Westlinks Resources Ltd., Calgary, named Don Almond vice-president, production. Almond initially was retained on a consulting basis by Westlinks during the transaction with Big Horn Resources Ltd. Upon completion of the Big Horn merger, Don joined Westlinks as production manager.
In 1997, Almond founded Ranchero Oil & Gas Ltd., and served as its vice-president of operations until early 2001 when Ranchero was acquired.
Randy Denecky has been elected treasurer and chief financial officer of Canada Southern Petroleum Ltd., Calgary.
Most recently, Denecky served as senior financial officer of Neutrino Resources Inc., a unit of Southern Mineral Corp. Prior to serving in that position, Denecky was vice-president, finance, for Beaver Lake Resources Corp.
Paul Geist has been named senior vice-president and chief financial officer of Western Resources, Tulsa. Most recently, Giest served as vice-president, corporate development, for the firm. Before joining Western Resources in 1999, Geist served in various financial positions, including senior vice-president and chief financial officer of Houlihan´s Restaurant Group Inc. He also served as vice-president and controller of Panera Bread Co., St. Louis, Mo.
The Houston Chapter of the Society of Independent Professional Earth Scientists has announced its officers for 2002.
Patrick H. McKinney, a petroleum engineer consultant, was elected chairman while the chairman-elect is James L. Allen, executive vice-president of Sovereign Oil and Gas Co., Houston.
Geological consultant Phil Martin was elected secretary, and independent geologist James V. Richards was elected treasurer.
Deborah K. Sacrey, president of Auburn Energy, and Paul W. Britt, an independent geologist, are national directors.
Downstream moves
Conoco Gas and Power Marketing, a division of Conoco Inc., Houston, named Al Mitchell as executive vice-president, trading. He is responsible for developing and implementing strategy for Conoco´s North American gas and power risk trading operations.
Mitchell previously was executive vice-president for commercial operations at Duke Energy Merchants. Before, that he was Duke´s chief trading officer.
Sunoco Inc., Philadelphia, announced the promotion to senior vice-president of three executives: Michael H.R. Dingus, Bruce G. Fischer, and Thomas W. Hofmann.
Dingus will continue as Sun Coke Co. president. He is a 30-year Sunoco employee and has led Sun Coke since 1996.
Fischer will continue to lead the Sunoco´s growing chemicals business. He has a 22-year career with Sunoco, including his leadership role in the successful turnaround of Sunoco´s MidAmerica business unit from 1995 to 1999.
Hofmann has been vice president and chief financial officer since July 1998. He gained wide experience within Sunoco during his 24 years of service.
Jerry L. Kohlenberger has been named a vice-president for ExxonMobil and president of the company´s Lubricants & Petroleum Specialties Co., Fairfax, Va., effective Jan. 1. Kohlenberger is president of ExxonMobil Global Services Co. (GSC), also based in Fairfax, and vice-president of Global Information Services.
Sherman J. Glass Jr. was expected to be elected to replace Kohlenberger as GSC president. Glass currently serves as general manager, corporate planning, for the parent firm.
Ray J. McGowan, executive vice-president of ExxonMobil Chemical Co., decided to retire on Dec. 31, 2001, after more than 38 years of service.
Steve D. Pryor, currently president, ExxonMobil Lubricants & Petroleum Specialties Co., will become executive vice-president of ExxonMobil Chemical Co.
M.P. Ramage, executive vice-president, ExxonMobil Research & Engineering Co., Fairfax, decided to retire effective Dec. 31, 2001, after more than 30 years of service.
John Boles, president of Equiva Trading Co., Houston, has been elected president and CEO of Motiva Enterprises LLC.
He replaced Roger Ebert, who retired. Boles joined Getty Oil Co. in 1973 at the Delaware City, Del., refinery. He worked in Getty´s refining and fiscal organizations in Tulsa from 1977-84.
Following Texaco´s acquisition of Getty in 1984, Boles held various planning and operational positions with Texaco USA and Texaco Refining & Marketing Inc. in Houston.
Boles was named vice-president of planning and administration for Texaco Refining & Marketing Inc. in Los Angeles in 1993. He was appointed chief operating officer of Star Enterprise in 1996, vice-president of portfolio planning and development for Equilon Enterprises LLC in 1998, and senior vice-president, Equiva Trading Co. in March 2000. Boles became president of Equiva Trading in May 2000.
Marathon Ashland Petroleum LLC (MAP), Findlay, Ohio, has promoted Clifford C. Cook, to senior vice-president, supply, distribution, and planning. He had been vice-president of that division since January 2001.
He joined Marathon Oil Co. in 1969 and has held a variety of positions within the refining, crude oil and products trading organizations.
Frontier Oil Corp., Houston, has appointed William G. Miller as vice-president, planning and development, for Frontier Refining and Marketing, Denver, a wholly owned subsidiary of Frontier.
Miller comes to Frontier with 28 years of experience in the refining and petrochemical industries, including positions at Celanese, UOP, Champlin Petroleum, El Paso Refining, and Mapco.
Most recently, he served as vice-president of Williams Refining and Marketing, a subsidiary of Williams Cos. Inc.
