Williams mourns loss of founder John H. Williams
Williams lost a transformative founder and former leader of the company when John H. Williams died at his home in Linville, NC on May 1. He was 94. Williams worked for the original Williams Brothers as early as 1938. Along with his brother Charlie and cousin David, he was part of the "second generation" of Williams family members who bought the company from founders Dave and Miller Williams in 1949. He served as president and CEO from 1949 to 1971; chairman and CEO from 1971 to 1979; board member from 1949 to 1993; and honorary board member from 1994 until his death. "This is a huge loss to many of us personally and certainly for our great company," said Williams’ president and CEO, Alan Armstrong. "John’s combination of wisdom and courage was extraordinary. He has been an inspiration to all who have been lucky enough to know him." One of Mr. Williams’ signature achievements was Williams’ 1966 purchase of Great Lakes Pipe Line, at the time a substantially larger company than Williams. The acquisition set Williams on the path to becoming a major operator of energy infrastructure. During his 29-year tenure as CEO, the company’s market value increased from $25,000 in 1949 to $406.5 million in 1978. From 1964 to 1974, Williams’ average combined return to investors ranked No. 1 among Fortune 500 companies. Williams graduated from Ruston Academy in Havana, Cuba and Yale University, where he majored in civil engineering. After joining the family business, he worked on projects in North and South America and the Middle East, in addition to serving in the Navy Civil Engineering Corps during World War II. Williams has earned many accolades for professional and community leadership, including an award from the Bolivian government for his company’s work in that country and the Governor’s Arts Award for his role in establishing Tulsa’s Performing Arts Center. He is survived by his spouse, Joanne S. Williams, and three sons: John H. Williams, Jr. and his spouse, Carol, of Tulsa; Burch I. Williams and spouse, Gay, of Tulsa; and S. Miller Williams and spouse, Constance, of Asheville, NC.
Voser to retire from Royal Dutch Shell in 2014
Peter Voser, CEO of Royal Dutch Shell plc, has informed the oil and gas giant that he will retire from the company in the first half of 2014. Voser has served as CEO of the company since July 2009 and has been an executive director since 2004. The Nomination and Succession Committee of the board of directors will lead a structured and comprehensive review of internal and external candidates for a new CEO.
Parker Drilling selects Weber as SVP, CFO
Parker Drilling Co. has selected Christopher T. Weber as senior vice president and CFO. With nearly 20 years in the global drilling, oil and gas, and power industries, Weber brings experience in international finance and operations activities including strategic planning, accounting, treasury, risk management, corporate development, turnaround initiatives, and competitor and market analysis. Weber most recently served as vice president and treasurer of Ensco plc. In this role, Weber led Ensco’s global treasury and risk management activities and was responsible for the company’s capital structure, debt portfolio, liquidity, banking and rating agency relations, as well its global insurance and enterprise risk management programs. He also served as co-leader for the global financial and operational integration of Ensco’s $7 billion acquisition of Pride International in 2011. Weber’s career includes a progressive series of finance and strategic planning positions both domestically and overseas, including five years of experience with The Boston Consulting Group where he worked in both Houston, Texas and London, England. In 2006, Weber joined Pride International Inc. as director of corporate planning and development, and subsequently moved to roles with increasing responsibility, including vice president of operations support, until becoming vice president and treasurer in 2011. Weber holds an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and an undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University.
Far East Energy names Jennifer Whitley CFO
Far East Energy Corp. has appointed Jennifer D. Whitley as CFO to succeed Bruce N. Huff. On May 7, 2013, Huff notified the company that he was resigning as the company’s CFO for medical reasons. Huff joined the company in May of 2004. Whitley has served as the interim CFO of the company since February 2013 and director of finance of the company since January 2011. Prior to joining the company, Whitley served as the CFO of Zero Emission Energy Plants Ltd., a midstream international energy company focused in Louisiana and China, from 2008 to 2010. From 2006 to 2008, she served as the finance director of Global Energy Development PLC. Previously, Whitley worked at Harken Energy Corp. and on the audit staff of Ernst & Young LLP. She is a Certified Public Accountant.
IMV Projects veteran Fransham named VP HSEQ
IMV Projects, a Wood Group Mustang company, has created a new vice president role within the company: Health, Safety, Environment and Quality (HSEQ). IMV Projects veteran Tom Fransham is the company’s first VP, HSEQ. Fransham joined IMV Projects in 2006 as director of Project Services. He was subsequently promoted to VP Engineering and Design/VP Quality Assurance. Fransham holds a bachelor’s degree from University of Waterloo and an MBA from University of Calgary.
Osterberg joins Mayer Brown in Houston
Tax attorney Edward C. Osterberg, Jr. has joined Mayer Brown in Houston as a partner in the Tax Transactions & Consulting practice. Previously, he was a partner at Vinson & Elkins in Houston. Osterberg focuses his practice on all areas of business income taxation, with emphasis on corporate and partnership taxation and international transactions. He has advised corporate and individual clients on the federal tax consequences of various transactions, including mergers and acquisitions; tax-free reorganizations; corporate spin-offs and other divestitures; partnerships; foreign operations, including cross-border joint ventures with non-US partners; and inbound investment into the United States by non-US investors. He has extensive experience representing energy companies across various sectors. Osterberg received an LLM degree in Taxation from Southern Methodist University, a JD degree cum laude from the Northwestern University School of Law and a BA from Northwestern University.
Allen rejoins Opportune
Alan Allen has rejoined Opportune LLP as managing director in its process and technology practice. Prior to rejoining Opportune, Allen was an associate director at LyondellBasell, where he was responsible for the customer business solutions group. Allen was also involved with reorganization of LyondellBasell’s IT organization.During his career, Allen has worked extensively in the upstream, as well as petrochemical, space. He holds a Management Information Systems degree from Texas A&M University with an MBA from Rice University.
Inocean names mobile offshore drilling VP
Oslo, Norway-based Inocean has appointed Leiken Dahl Aasbø as vice president of mobile offshore drilling. Aasbø has previously filled the project manager role in several Inocean projects, like the INO80 Drillship. Aasbø has more than 15 years of experience in the industry, where she has had HSE, QA and regulatory compliance as a specialist area. She has experience in a wide range of semi-submersible, drilling unit and FPSO projects. Her career has included work for MPF Corp., Agility, Moss Maritime, and Kværner Warnow Shipyard in Germany. Inocean delivers design and engineering services to the maritime industry worldwide.
Barclays adds Couchman to Oil & Gas team
Barclays Corporate Banking has appointed Colin Couchman as a relationship director within its Oil & Gas Team. Couchman will be responsible for the management of corporate banking relationships with organizations active in the Exploration & Production (E&P) and oil and gas service sectors. Colin joins Barclays having held senior roles with a range of international financial organizations and was most recently senior director, oil and gas, with Bayerische Landesbank (BayernLB).
TPH hires Amador to spearhead Latin American banking effort
Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. (TPH) has hired Jose M. Amador as head of the firm’s formal Latin American investment banking coverage. Amador, a native of Venezuela, was named a managing director and joins TPH from Scotia Waterous where he was heavily involved in that firm’s efforts in the region. Amador also served for 11 years at consulting firm Gaffney, Cline & Associates, and began his career with ARCO Oil and Gas. He holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Rice University and an MBA from Houston Baptist University. He will be based in Houston, Texas. TPH serves corporate clients with an over 50-person strong banking team based in Houston, London, New York and Denver. Overall, the firm today has more than 150 employees in its Securities, Investment Banking and Asset Management divisions.
