Newport succeeds Atencio as Mainland Resources CEO
Houston-based Mainland Resources Inc. has promoted Michael J. Newport to the position of CEO and director of the company. Nick Atencio has tendered his resignation as CEO and as a director of the board, but will continue to serve the company as a technical consultant. Newport has served Mainland since 2007 as president. He started his career with Amoco in 1979. He joined Greenhill Petroleum in 1989 as land manager for Permian Basin Region operations. Newport also spent 13 years managing brokers for West Texas, South Texas, East Texas, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Alabama and North Louisiana, as well as performing all land management activities for various operators actively drilling and completing wells in these areas. He received a bachelor's degree, an MBA, and completed hours for a Petroleum Land Management degree, all from the University of Oklahoma.
Stephen Wright has been named vice president of Europe and Middle East Operations for Solomon Associates, effective April 1. He replaces Lawrence Anness, who will retire after a 20 year career with the global energy consulting company. Wright joined Solomon Associates in January 2010 as senior consultant in the company's UK office. Before Solomon Associates, Wright served as vice president of process consulting in Europe, the Middle East and Africa for KBC Process Technology Ltd. Prior to consulting, Wright served in management roles for Exxon at its UK refinery at Fawley during a 15-year career. Wright is a chartered engineer and holds a bachelor's degree from Imperial College London. Anness joined Solomon Associates in 1990. Prior to Solomon Associates, he spent nearly two decades with Amoco Corp.
Transportation and logistics services provider United Vision Logistics has promoted Howard Hoffmann to CEO. Since Jan. 1, Hoffmann has served as the company's interim CEO. Prior to 2011, he served as the company's chief integration officer, overseeing the integration and rebranding of four legacy companies into one entity, United Vision Logistics. Hoffman brings more than 30 years of financial, operational and general management experience in a wide range of industries. He previously served as CEO of MedQuist Inc. and interim CEO of Global Knowledge Network Inc.
Apache Corp. has elected Chansoo Joung, a senior advisor at Warburg Pincus LLC, and Scott Josey, former chairman and CEO of Mariner Energy, to its board of directors. Joung, who joined Warburg Pincus in 2005, provides advice on new and existing investments in the energy sector for the firm. Previously, he was an investment banker at Goldman Sachs for nearly 18 years. Josey served as the chairman of the board and CEO of Mariner Energy from August 2001 until November 2010, when it merged with Apache. Previously, he served as vice president of Enron North America and co-managed its Energy Capital Resources group. He was also a co-founder of Sagestone Capital Partners, and was a director with Enron Capital & Trade Resources Corp. in its energy investment group. Before that, he worked at Texas Oil and Gas Corp.
Geophysical service company MicroSeismic Inc. (MSI), has promoted Michael Thornton to chief technology officer. Thornton previously served as vice president of analysis. Chief geophysicist, Michael Mueller, will succeed him becoming vice president, analysis, leading delivery of all commercial geophysical services as well as IT infrastructure worldwide. Thornton obtained his PhD from the University of Houston and his master's degree and bachelor's degree from Texas A&M University. He has 17 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, having spent six years in management at Veritas DGC as imaging director. Prior, he spent 11 years at ExxonMobil. Mueller's experience in geoscience technology research and development, with a focus on multicomponent seismic and seismic anisotropy spans almost 30 years. He delivered the first application of the ocean bottom seismic method at Azeri field in the South Caspian Sea and co-invented the dipole sonic shear anisotropy logging application. He led a McKinsey and Co. study on technology, strategy and governance helping to develop and execute the strategic plan for unconventional gas resource progression and reserves production in North America for BP. He earned a bachelor's degree from Binghamton University and a master's degree ifrom the University of Houston.
Transocean Ltd. has appointed Nick Deeming as senior vice president, general counsel and assistant corporate secretary. Eric B. Brown, currently in that role, will transition to the company's Houston office, primarily leading the company's Macondo litigation efforts. Deeming most recently served as group general counsel and company secretary of Christie's. Prior, Deeming served as the chief legal officer of Linde Group AG.
America's Natural Gas Alliance (ANGA) has named Sara Banaszak as vice president and chief economist. Banaszak joins ANGA after spending six years at the American Petroleum Institute as senior economist. Prior to API, Banaszak worked for PFC Energy; the US Department of Energy's Office of Fossil Energy; and at the US Energy Information Administration. She graduated cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania, holds a master's degree from the University of Hawaii, and is pursuing her PhD at George Washington University.
Software solutions and consulting services provider TerraSpark Geosciences LLC has appointed Robert Stevenson as COO. Stevenson joins TerraSpark with over 30 years of management and engineering experience in several industries including energy, software and imaging systems, and management consulting. Previously he served as CEO of Translation Technologies, president of Geographix (a Landmark/Halliburton company), CEO of Photometrics Ltd., and GM/VP at IHS, where he was responsible for creating a new Global Energy Product Group. Stevenson holds an MBA and a bachelor's degree from Dartmouth College.
Merichem Co. has appointed Richard J. Guerrerio vice president and CFO. Guerrerio replaces Bruce Upshaw, senior vice president and CFO, who will retire effective March 31. Guerrerio has over 38 years of experience in the mining, manufacturing, engineering support, chemical and petrochemical industries. Prior to joining Merichem, Guerrerio held similar positions with several companies, including Vopak North America, Mettler-Toledo and SGS. He began his career as a staff auditor with Coopers and Lybrand. Guerrerio holds a bachelor's degree from Fordham University and MBA studies at Iona College. Merichem licenses patented process technologies and supplies proprietary equipment to provide hydrocarbon treating solutions and by-product management services to the upstream and downstream sectors.
Investment banking firm Madison Williams and Co. has hired Paul Coppola as managing director and senior energy specialist, institutional equity sales and trading. He will be based in the Houston office. Prior to joining Madison Williams, Coppola was a portfolio manager at Arrowhawk Capital Partners and Satellite Asset Management, covering integrated oils, refiners, oil service, and exploration and production companies. He spent 12 years at Morgan Stanley & Co., most recently as executive director, global energy specialist. Coppola graduated from Fordham University with a bachelor's degree in economics. He also served as a Lieutenant in the United States Army, First Calvary Division.
Law firm Hunton & Williams has added Jonathan G. Simpson as a partner in its London office. Simpson is the eighth partner within the past year to join the firm's energy and infrastructure practice. Simpson comes to the firm from Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker LLP, where he was head of its European projects group. Simpson has significant experience advising governments, leading multinational sponsors and leading financial institutions with project development and project finance transactions in Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, Africa and Asia in several sectors including infrastructure (including PPP), power and renewables, oil, gas, petrochemicals, mining and minerals. Most recently, he has advised on the $15 billion Southstream Gas Pipeline Project; he advised the Republic of Srpska on its €3.5 billion concession motorway program; he advised on the restructuring of the Croatian gas market; and he advised on one of the largest-ever sovereign debt deals in Albania.
Brian Morris has joined the Chicago office of Capstone Advisory Group LLC as a managing director. Prior to joining Capstone, Morris spent more than 10 years with KPMG, most recently as a managing director in the Economic and Valuation Services Group. Before KPMG, he spent several years employed in the corporate finance and strategic planning group of a start-up telecommunications company. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business and a bachelor's degree from DePaul University.
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