Manzoni to succeed Buckee as Talisman president, CEO
Talisman Energy Inc.’s board of directors appointed John Manzoni as president and CEO to succeed Jim Buckee who has indicated his intention to retire. The appointment will take effect on September 1, 2007. During the past 24 years, Manzoni held increasingly senior strategic and operational leadership positions at BP. Since 2002, he has served as chief executive, refining and marketing at BP Group. Talisman Energy Inc. is an independent upstream oil and gas company headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Clayton to step down as Venture’s finance director
Venture Production plc’s finance director, Marie-Louise Clayton, gave notice of her resignation in order to develop her career outside the group. Venture expects Clayton to leave by November 2007, and the company will begin recruiting her replacement immediately. “Marie-Louise has made a substantial contribution to Venture since joining the company in February 2005,” said Mike Wagstaff, Venture’s chief executive. “She has been an integral part of the Venture management team, which has delivered real growth over the last 2 and a half years. The board wishes Marie-Louise every success in her future career and look forward to working with her on an orderly transition.”
Petrol Oil and Gas adds to operating team
Petrol Oil and Gas Inc., an independent oil and gas company with operations in Kansas and Missouri, has added Kenton L. Hupp and Stephen P. Clark as consultants to assist the company’s operating management team. Hupp is a licensed petroleum engineer with more than 31 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, including 4 1/2 years with a major oil company, 7 years with a large independent oil and gas company, and 19 years as a consulting engineer. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri. Clark will be consulting as the company’s financial expert to oversee and coordinate the company’s finances and accounting functions. From 1999 until 2007, he served as executive VP and CFO at Reece & Nichols Realtors. Clark earned his bachelor’s degree from Kansas State University.
Mathieson promoted to acting president, CEO at WellDynamics
WellDynamics has appointed Derek Mathieson acting president and CEO. Mathieson previously served as the firm’s vice president, business development and technology. Mathieson joined WellDynamics at its inception in 2001. He was previously employed by Shell UK Exploration and Production Ltd. Mathieson holds a doctorate degree and a bachelor’s degree from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland. WellDynamics’ technology includes solutions for subsurface flow control, zonal isolation, and real-time monitoring and control from surface facilities.
Energy XXI names new VPs
Energy XXI (Bermuda) Ltd. appointed Hugh A. Menown as vice president and chief accounting officer and Tom J. O’Donnell as vice president of corporate development and planning. Menown has more than 26 years of experience in mergers and acquisitions, auditing and managerial finance, and has been performing similar roles at Energy XXI on a consultant basis since August 2006. He previously worked with Quanta Services Inc. and was CFO for 2 of Quanta’s operating companies. He is a graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia with a bachelor’s degree. O’Donnell has served as Energy XXI’s director of corporate development and planning since July 2006. He has 21 years of industry experience, 15 of which were at Burlington Resources. O’Donnell is a graduate of Texas A&M University with a bachelor’s degree. Energy XXI is an independent oil and natural gas exploration and production company whose growth strategy emphasizes acquisitions, enhanced by its value-added organic drilling program.
Desmarest gets 3 more years as Total director, board chairman
Following the company’s annual meeting, Total’s board renewed Thierry Desmarest’s mandate as a director of the company for another 3 years. In addition, they re-elected him chairman of the board.
Transocean shareholders re-elect directors
Shareholders of Transocean Inc. re-elected Robert L. Long, Martin B. McNamara, Robert M. Sprague, and J. Michael Talbert as class II directors to serve 3-year terms expiring in 2010. Long is CEO of Transocean Inc., McNamara is a partner of the law firm of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, Sprague is the retired regional business director of Shell EP International BV, and Talbert is non-executive chairman of the board of directors. Also, shareholders approved the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as the company’s independent registered public accounting firm for 2007. Transocean Inc. is an offshore drilling contractor with a fleet of 82 mobile offshore drilling units.
Flotek appoints division presidents
Flotek Industries Inc. has recruited Paul Deutch as president of Artificial Lift. Deutch will lead the geographic expansion and product line development of Flotek’s emerging Artificial Lift division. He previously served as vice president and CTO of Science Applications International Corp.’s Upstream Oil & Gas Commercial Business Services group. In addition, Robert Wittman, previously vice president of engineering, has been promoted to president of the newly created Flotek Technology and Engineering division.
Ivanhoe appoints Koshka to oversee Western Canada business development
Ivanhoe Energy Inc. has appointed Edward Koshka as vice president, business development for Western Canada. Koshka will be based in Ivanhoe’s offices in Calgary and will be focused on developing commercial heavy oil opportunities utilizing Ivanhoe Energy’s proprietary heavy oil upgrading technology in the Canadian oilsands region. He has over 20 years of experience in oilsands development, petroleum refining, and crude oil marketing. He joins Ivanhoe from the senior management team at Synenco Energy Inc. Koshka has a degree from the University of Alberta and an MBA from the University of Calgary. Ivanhoe Energy is an independent international heavy oil development and production company.
Cameron names Bartos VP development, technology
Cameron’s board of directors has elected John C. Bartos as vice president, development and technology, responsible for identifying and implementing new technology that supports Cameron’s company-wide engineering processes and product development initiatives. Bartos has served as vice president, engineering and product development for the compression systems group since 2003. Before joining Cameron, Bartos held similar positions with Ingersoll-Rand and with A-C Compressor. He has a bachelor’s degree from Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, NJ. Cameron is a provider of flow equipment products, systems, and services to worldwide oil, gas, and process industries.
Svalbe to step down as Pancontinental’s chief
Andrejs Svalbe has retired as CEO of Pancontinental Oil & Gas NL. Svalbe, a founding director of Pancontinental, has been the company’s CEO for nearly 9 years. Svalbe will not seek to be re-elected to the board at the November 2007 AGM. Matthew Battrick will be promoted to the position of general manager of the company. Battrick has been with Pancontinental for two and a half years in the role of exploration manager and has over 25 years of experience in the portfolio management of international and Australian exploration and production assets. Battrick’s previous employment has been mainly with majors and large independents, such as LASMO, Ampolex, Mobil, and Eni. Barry Rushworth, based in the UK, will continue to act as director with responsibility for New Ventures, working closely with Battrick in this role.
Groenink withdraws name from director nomination at Royal Dutch Shell
Rijkman Groenink, chairman of the managing board of ABN AMRO, who has been nominated for the position of non-executive director of Royal Dutch Shell Plc, has requested the withdrawal of his nomination at this time. He says he wants to fully dedicate his attention to ABN AMRO, given the current corporate activities around the company. The board of Royal Dutch Shell has accepted Groenink’s request.
Far East Energy taps Donald Duttlinger China Country manager
Houston-based Far East Energy Corp. has named Donald F. Duttlinger as China Country manager and as the new president of its wholly-owned subsidiary, Far East Energy (Bermuda) Ltd. Duttlinger joins Far East Energy with over 25 years’ experience in the international and domestic energy industry. Most recently, he served 7 years as the executive director of the Petroleum Technology Transfer Council in Washington, DC and Houston, Tex. Duttlinger holds a bachelor’s degree from Purdue University, as well as an MBA from Louisiana State University. Far East Energy Corp. is focused on coalbed methane exploration and development in China through its agreements with ConocoPhillips and China United Coalbed Methane Co. Ltd.
GFI Group names Clague head of energy
GFI Group Inc. has appointed Ian Clague as head of GFI’s energy operations in the Americas. Clague will be reporting to Ron Levi, GFI’s COO. Clague has served as managing director - North America - since April 2003. Prior to joining GFI, he was with Chemical Bank and co-head of debt derivatives and liquid markets for Merrill Lynch in Japan. New York-based GFI Group Inc. is an inter-dealer broker specializing in over-the-counter derivatives products and related securities.
Pride stockholders re-elect board members
Pride International Inc. stockholders approved the re-election of A. B. Brown, Kenneth M. Burke, Archie W. Dunham, Francis S. Kalman, Ralph D. McBride, Louis A. Raspino, and David B. Robson to serve on the board of directors for a term of one year. In addition the stockholders ratified the appointment of KPMG LLP as its independent registered public accounting firm for 2007. Houston-based Pride International is a drilling contractor. The company provides onshore and offshore drilling and related services.
Two new members promoted to executive management at Glitnir
Alexander K. Guðmundsson, executive director of Glitnir’s operations in Norway, has been appointed CFO of the Glitnir group.
Additionally, Gísli Heimisson will take on the role of EVP for shared services and be the bank’s CIO. These changes come in the wake of Tómas Kristjánsson and Finnur Stefánsson stepping down as CFO and COO to set up a real estate and investment company. Guðmundsson has worked in Glitnir since 1998 Heimisson has developed and directed Glitnir IT projects since 2005. Heimisson has more than 23 years of experience in the profession. Guðmundsson graduated from the University of Iceland. Heimisson holds a master’s degree from Denmark’s Tekniske Universitet. Glitnir offers universal banking in 3 global segments; seafood/food, sustainable energy, and offshore services vessels.
W&T Offshore re-elects directors; adds Israel to board
W&T Offshore Inc. shareholders re-elected Tracy W. Krohn, J. F. Freel, Stuart B. Katz, S. James Nelson, Jr., and Virginia Boulet to serve on the board of directors for one-year terms. Robert I. Israel was elected to fill the vacated board seat of James L. Luikart, who chose to not run for reelection. Israel is currently a partner at Compass Advisers LLP. He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA from Middlebury College. Israel will serve on the company’s audit committee and is considered an independent member. W&T Offshore is an independent oil and natural gas company focused primarily in the Gulf of Mexico.
Weaver and Tidwell’s John Mackel appointed director of energy services
John J. Mackel III has been appointed as the director of energy services for Weaver and Tidwell LLP. He joined the firm in January through the firm’s merger with McDonald, Fox and Lund PC. With offices in Dallas, Fort Worth, and Houston, Weaver and Tidwell is a large regional independent accounting firm. The major energy industry segments serviced by the firm include exploration and production, distribution and refining, renewable power and fuel and various energy service companies. Mackel serves as an audit partner with Weaver and Tidwell supporting the Energy Services group’s clientele. He has more than 11 years’ experience in audit, review, compilation, attestation and business advisory consulting engagements for clients in the energy, construction, and investment management/hedge fund industries. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Sam Houston State University.
SulphCo(R) taps Stanley Farmer CFO
SulphCo(R) Inc. has appointed Stanley W. Farmer to vice president and CFO. He has over 16 years of progressive professional financial management experience. Most recently, he was an audit partner at Malone & Bailey PC in Houston. From November 2004 to April 2005, he served as CFO at Texas Energy Ventures LLC. Farmer earned a bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University. The company will be relocating its corporate headquarters to Houston. A number of key SulphCo(R) employees will be relocating from Sparks to Houston to continue in their roles with the firm. SulphCo(R) has developed a patented safe and economic process employing ultrasound technology to desulfurize and hydrogenate crude oil and other oil related products. The company’s technology is designed to upgrade sour heavy crude oils into sweeter, lighter crude oils, producing more gallons of usable oil per barrel.
BJ Services appoints Buchanan, Hibbeler to management posts
BJ Services Co. has appointed Alasdair Buchanan to vice president - international pressure pumping operations. Buchanan has been with the company for 24 years, most recently serving as the company’s vice president - technology and logistics. The board has also named Jeff Hibbeler to vice president - technology and logistics. Hibbeler has been with the company for 17 years, most recently serving as region manager for the company’s Asia Pacific operations.
Bertani joins Infinity Energy as interim COO
Renato T. Bertani has joined Infinity Energy Resources Inc. as interim COO. Bertani holds a PhD from the University of Illinois. He has over 30 years of international experience in exploration and production projects in Latin America, the US Gulf of Mexico, West Africa, and the UK. Bertani will continue to act as president and CEO of Thompson & Knight Global Energy Services LLC. From September 2001 to December 2006, he served as president of Petrobras America Inc. Bertani is vice president of the World Petroleum Council, where he is responsible for the technical program for the 19th World Petroleum Congress to be held in Madrid, Spain in 2008. Infinity Energy Resources Inc., through its wholly-owned subsidiaries Infinity Oil and Gas of Texas Inc. and Infinity Oil & Gas of Wyoming Inc., is an independent energy company engaged in the exploration, development, and production of natural gas and oil and the operation and acquisition of natural gas and oil properties.
Reinemund elected to ExxonMobil board
Exxon Mobil Corp.’s shareholders elected Steven S. Reinemund to its board of directors. Reinemund is the retired chairman and CEO of PepsiCo Inc. The ExxonMobil board stands at 12 directors, 10 of whom are non-employee directors. Reinemund also serves as a director of Johnson & Johnson, Marriott International Inc., and American Express Co. He serves as the chair of the National Minority Supplier Development Council and as a trustee of the United States Naval Academy Foundation. He is a graduate of the US Naval Academy and obtained his MBA from the University of Virginia.
ENSCO board elects Rabun chairman after Thorne retirement
Dallas-based ENSCO International Inc.’s board of directors elected Daniel W. Rabun to serve as chairman of the board following the retirement of former chairman Carl F. Thorne. Rabun also serves as president and CEO of ENSCO and was elected to serve on the board of directors last year. The stockholders re-elected David M. Carmichael, Thomas L. Kelly II, and Rita Rodriguez as Class III Directors, each to serve for a 3-year term. ENSCO owns and operates a modern fleet of offshore drilling rigs servicing the petroleum industry on a global basis.
Witts to sit on board at Faroe Petroleum as finance director
Roger Witts has been added to the board as finance director at Faroe Petroleum plc. Witts is an accountant with over 30 years’ oil industry experience including as finance director of Fina Exploration Ltd., Thomson North Sea plc, and Seafield Resources plc. Witts has considerable experience in financial disciplines including fund raising, strategic planning, risk management, and financial reporting. Faroe Petroleum plc is an independent oil and gas company focusing on exploration, appraisal, and production in the Atlantic Margin, the North Sea, and Norway.
Knight Oil Tools promotes McLaughlin
Paco McLaughlin has been promoted to director of operations for Knight Oil Tools’ Rocky Mountain region. McLaughlin has been with the Knight Companies for 3 years, most recently as quality manager in Lafayette. McLaughlin’s new role, based in Rock Springs, Wyo., is to support rental operations through daily communications with store managers based in the Rocky Mountain Region. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. The company is the largest privately held rental and fishing tools business in the oil and gas industry.
Intermoor names Hardin VP projects, engineering
InterMoor Inc., an Acteon company, has named Don Hardin vice president of projects and engineering. Hardin will be responsible for management and oversight of InterMoor’s major projects and engineering, worldwide. Hardin has more than 25 years of experience in structural engineering, offshore installation, project management, and general marine operations. Prior to InterMoor, Hardin worked as project manager for Technip USA. InterMoor designs, provides, and installs integrated mooring systems worldwide for the offshore oil and gas industry.
Newpark Resources makes board appointments; elects Box chairman
Newpark Resources Inc. has elected Jerry W. Box as non-executive chairman of the board. Box, who has been a member of Newpark’s board since 2003, has over 30 years of experience in the oil and gas exploration industry, having retired as president, COO, and director of Oryx Energy in 1999. Subsequently, he was a director of Magnum Hunter Resources Inc., and also served as chairman of Magnum Hunter from October 2004 to June 2005. Additionally, Newpark elected Jerry W. Box, Gary L. Warren, F. Walker Tucei, Jr., David C. Anderson, James W. McFarland, Paul L. Howes, and G. Stephen Finley, to the board. Newpark Resources Inc. is a worldwide provider of drilling fluids, temporary worksites, and access roads for oilfield and other commercial markets, and environmental waste treatment solutions.
