Energy Players

Rhonda B. Rosen has been named chief financial officer of NDB Energy, Inc., an independent oil and gas company based in Houston, Texas. Rosen brings more than 25 years of experience in financial operations, reporting and controls, investment banking and asset management to NDB. Most recently, she served as treasurer, CFO and CAO of Tonix Pharmaceuticals Holding Corp. Prior affiliations include Pricewaterhouse Coopers LLP, Validus Pharmaceuticals (treasurer and CFO), Wood Creek Capital Management (SVP), Putnam Lovell NBF (managing director) and CIBC World Markets (formerly Oppenheimer & Co.) (managing director). She provides executive-level financial consulting as a partner at Tatum, an executive services firm. Rosen earned an MBA and BS from The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, where she graduated summa cum laude. She received her master of science in taxation degree from Temple University. A certified public accountant, Rosen is licensed by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.

Oxy makes appointments

Occidental Petroleum Corp. recently named Christopher G. Stavros as vice president and treasurer. Stavros, 48, has served as Occidental's vice president, Investor Relations, since October 2006. In addition to assuming responsibility for the corporation's treasury function, he will continue to oversee investor relations. Stavros joined Occidental in 2005 as director, Investor Relations. Previously, he held positions with Ernst & Young, Bristol-Meyers Squibb, Prudential Securities and UBS. He holds a bachelor's degree in accounting from Boston University and an MBA from the University of Rochester's Simon School of Business. Melissa E. Schoeb has been named vice president, corporate communications of Occidental Petroleum Corp. Schoeb, 43, has led Occidental's communications function since July 2011, and joined the company in 2007 as senior director of corporate communications. Previously, she was a senior vice president, senior partner and general manager at Fleishman-Hillard, Inc. Schoeb holds a BA degree in international relations and Spanish from the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Va. Dale Petroskey has been appointed vice president of public affairs. Petroskey, 56, has more than 25 years of experience in communications and public affairs. He served as assistant press secretary in the White House for President Ronald Reagan, and later as assistant secretary of public affairs at the US Department of Transportation. Among other leadership positions, he was vice president for public affairs at the National Geographic Society. Petroskey holds a bachelor of arts degree in journalism from Michigan State University.

Prior Sasol exec named to BHP Billiton board

Pat Davies has been elected to the BHP Billiton Board of Directors as an independent non-executive director, effective June 1. Davies served as chief executive of Sasol Limited, a global chemical and mining company, from 2005 until his retirement in 2011. He was appointed to the Sasol board in 1997. The appointment brings BHP Billiton's total number of non-executive directors to 12.

Bott succeeds Hume at Continental Resources

Jeff Hume will assume the role of vice chairman of strategic growth initiatives at Continental Resources, and Rick Bott will succeed Hume as president and chief operating officer, effective June 4. Bott most recently served as executive director and COO of Cairn India Ltd., a publicly listed company and member of the Nifty Fifty of the India National Stock Exchange. Bott has over 27 years of global exploration and production experience leading integrated organizations, developing new business, and focusing on cross-cultural leadership development. Previously Bott served in Devon Energy Corp.'s International Division, where he was VP responsible for developing and implementing exploration strategy. He also served as president of Ocean Egypt Companies and president of Ocean Yemen Corp., and held a number of international management and technical positions with British Gas and Tenneco.

Comstock Resources promotes Williams

Comstock Resources, Inc. has promoted Mark A. Williams to chief operating officer. Williams, who has been with Comstock since 1996 and previously was vice president of operations, will oversee the company's exploration, production and drilling operations. Two of Williams' key managers will become part of Comstock's executive management team. Gerry L. Blackshear, who joined the company in 2007, has been named vice president of exploration and will oversee the company's geologic and geoscience staff. Blaine M. Stribling is being promoted to vice president of corporate development and will oversee a team to identify and pursue new opportunities for Comstock. Stribling has been with Comstock since 2007. Russell W. Romoser joins Comstock as vice president of reservoir engineering. He has more than 35 years' experience as a reservoir engineer. For the past 11 years, he has been the acquisitions engineering manager for EXCO Resources, Inc. Romoser has an undergraduate and master's degree in petroleum engineering from the University of Texas. Frederic D. Sewell was elected to the Comstock board of directors at the company's annual meeting of stockholders May 8. Sewell has more than 50 years of experience as a petroleum engineer and is best known as the co-founder and former chairman and CEO of Netherland, Sewell and Associates, Inc., a worldwide oil and gas consulting firm, until his retirement in 2008.

TMK IPSCO welcomes Dave Mitch as COO

TMK IPSCO, the North American division of global pipe manufacturer TMK, has appointed Dave Mitch to the position of senior vice president and chief operating officer. He will office at the company's headquarters in Downers Grove, Ill. In this newly-created position, Mitch will be responsible for all manufacturing, supply chain and quality functions within TMK IPSCO. Mitch has held several key leadership positions within the tubular industry, including executive vice president of Copperweld Tubular Products and vice president and general manager of Lone Star Steel Company. Most recently, he served as general manager at US Steel Tubular. Mitch holds a bachelor's degree in metallurgical engineering from the University of Cincinnati and a master's degree in organizational leadership from Geneva College.

Brad Ross joins Hein & Associates

Brad Ross has joined Hein & Associates as transaction services leader. He will consult with corporate and private equity clients on transactions ranging from $1M to several billion dollars. Ross has more than 20 years of professional experience; 13 years in transactions services. His expertise is in buy- and sell-side diligence, as well as lender services projects. He has worked on transactions in Canada, South America, Europe, India, China and Japan.

Reinaldo Ma joins TozziniFreire

Brazil-based TozziniFreire Advogados has added Reinaldo Ma to the firm as partner. Ma has more than 10 years of experience in corporate mergers and acquisitions, and has worked specific deals between Brazil and China. Ma will serve as a coordinator in the firm's China Practice Group, which is focused on the Asian market. He is a graduate of the Law School of Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro and is fluent in Mandarim, He is specialized in Alternative Dispute Resolution from the Hong Kong Maritime Law Association and the University of Hong Kong. Previously, Ma worked at Simmons, the Brazil-China Business Council, Petrobras and Samarco.

Donaldson new VP, general counsel for EOG Resources

EOG Resources, Inc. has appointed Michael P. Donaldson as vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary. He succeeds Frederick J. "Rick" Plaeger, II, who will begin his transition toward retirement. Plaeger will continue in the role of vice president, Government Relations with EOG. Donaldson has more than 20 years of oil and gas related legal experience. He joined EOG in September 2007 and previously served as the firm's deputy general counsel and corporate secretary. He holds a BA degree in public administration and political science from Miami University (Ohio), a JD degree from the South Texas College of Law and an LLM degree in energy, natural resources and environmental law from the University of Houston.

Bayardo senior VP at Continental Resources

Jose A. Bayardo has assumed the position of senior vice president of business development at Continental Resources. He will lead the company's investment, acquisition and divestiture teams. Previously, Bayardo was senior vice president, CFO and treasurer at Complete Production Services, which was sold to Superior Energy Services earlier this year, and an investment banker with J.P. Morgan. Bayardo received a MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University and a BS in chemical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.

Ladenburg Thalmann welcomes James Hansen

James Hansen has joined Ladenburg Thalmann & Co. Inc. as managing director, head of energy investment banking. Based in Houston, Hansen will oversee the firm's investment banking practice. He joins Ladenburg from Morgan Keegan & Company, Inc., where he served as managing director and co-head of energy investment banking. Hansen has also worked with Broadpoint Capital, Inc., Banc of America Securities, and Howard, Weil, Labouisse, Friedrichs & Co. Hansen received a BA in economics and politics from Princeton University.

Acteon appoints Lester Clark as VP

Acteon has appointed Lester Clark as vice president. Clark has more than 20 years of industry experience and joins Acteon from Baker Hughes, where he was director for drilling systems in the Russia Caspian region. Lester will report to Bernhard Bruggaier, Acteon executive vice president for operations, and will support InterMoor's management team.

Equal makes management changes, names new chair

Equal Energy Ltd. has made changes in senior management and appointed a new chairman of the board. John Reader, senior vice president, Corporate Development, and chief operating officer, will be leaving the company to pursue other interests. Dan McKinnon has been appointed senior vice president, Engineering. McKinnon most recently held a number of management and executive roles at NuVista Energy Ltd. Prior to that, he held positions with Midnight Oil & Gas (formerly Capture Oil & Gas), Rio Alto Exploration and Norcen Energy Resources Ltd. McKinnon graduated from the University of Manitoba with a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering. Dan Botterill has assumed the position of chairman of the board of directors, replacing Peter Carpenter. Botterill is an independent businessman who, prior to 2010, was president and CEO of Berens Energy Ltd., a junior oil and gas company operating in Alberta. Botterill joined the board in May 2011 and has more than 33 years of diversified oil and gas engineering and business experience. Carpenter will continue to serve on the board as an independent director and will also remain a member of the Reserves & HSE Committee.

Broussard, Tchernysheva join Whitney, Hancock banks

Energy bankers Donovan Broussard and Liana Tchernysheva have joined Hancock Holding Co., which includes the century-old Gulf South institutions Whitney Bank and Hancock Bank. Broussard assumes the title of senior vice president and managing director and Tchernysheva is senior vice president and senior energy banker of the Whitney Bank and Hancock Bank Energy Division. Together they bring more than 32 years of experience in the energy banking sector to the company. They are both based at Whitney Bank in Houston and are residents of the city's greater metropolitan area. Broussard began his career in New Orleans as a Whitney Bank management trainee and now has more than 17 years' experience in the banking industry, with an emphasis in management and energy lending. He comes to Whitney Bank in Houston from NATIXIS where, since 2001, he led long-term planning, strategy, and new product implementation and developed client relationships. Broussard also worked for The Bank of Nova Scotia and Dai-Ichi Kangyo. He holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Tchernysheva, a 15-year veteran of banking, also joins Whitney and Hancock from NATIXIS where, as a managing director of the oil and gas exploration and production group, she created and built the bank's portfolio as a participant and lead originator. Tchernysheva previously worked in several positions at BBVA Compass (formerly Compass Bank) and holds a finance degree from the University of South Alabama.Barnett, DeMan join Asset Risk Management

Asset Risk Management, LLC, recently announced that Keith Barnett and Bob DeMan have joined the company's leadership team. Barnett will serve as senior vice president and the director of fundamentals analysis, while DeMan will serve as senior vice president. Both will work out of ARM's Houston office. Barnett has more than 30 years' experience in the crude oil, natural gas and power industries, most recently with Merrill Lynch Commodities. Barnett played a key role in two major National Petroleum Council studies. He led the power demand team on "Balancing Natural Gas Policy: Fueling the Demands of a Growing Economy," and served on the study's steering and report writing committees. He also served as the Natural Gas Task Force lead for the Edison Electric Institute.

Barnett has testified as an expert before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the US Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. With 23 years' experience, DeMan previously served as a director for BNP Paribas' Commodity Indexed Transactions group, and at Atmos Energy Marketing (formerly Woodward Marketing) as director of financial trading and risk manager. DeMan has held several positions in the energy futures sector and has worked on the futures desks for BNP Paribas and ED&F Man and on the floor of the NYMEX as a clerk and Proprietary trader.

Select Energy appoints managers to Fluidity™ team

Select Energy Services, LLC, a water solutions and oilfield service company headquartered in Houston, Texas, has appointed William H. Fronczak and Jeffrey A. Anderson as managers in the company's Fluidity™ team. Fronczak joined the Rockies team as director of business development. With more than 20 years of experience in handling cases involving water rights, allocation and sourcing, the Clean Water Act, and other natural resource and environmental matters, Fronczak will provide business, engineering, and regulatory advice. Anderson was named project manager for the Rockies region. With more than 30 years of experience in project management, groundwater hydrology and petroleum geology, Anderson will provide water management solutions for the Niobrara, Bakken and Piceance and surrounding areas.

OVS Group names Denver president

Larry Denver has joined OVS Group, LLC as president. Jose N. Alvarez, founder and previous president and CEO, will remain as CEO. Previously, Denver served as president of Knowledge Reservoir, LLC, a reservoir consulting group, and as a senior manager or board member of Ascend Geo (an Aspect Energy company), Tracestone LLC, Input/Output, Simmons Company Fund (SCF Partners), World Oil Magazine and Schlumberger GeoQuest.

Zilift appoints industry expert as chairman

Stuart Ferguson has been appointed chairman of the board of directors of Zilift, a fully independent company that develops artificial lift technologies and systems for the oil and gas industry. Ferguson is an independent consultant who specializes in advising oil industry clients on the development, commercialization, acquisition and sale of technology. Ferguson previously spent nine years at Weatherford International Ltd., most recently as chief technology officer and senior vice president of reservoir and production. Prior to that he worked with Expro International Group PLC, Petroline Wellsystems Ltd. and BP PLC, where he began his career as a petroleum engineer.

King brings expertise to Latham & Watkins

Michael R. King has joined Latham & Watkins LLP as a partner in the Corporate Department of the Houston office. Previously with the Houston office of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, King primarily represents oil and gas companies in upstream transactional matters, particularly in regard to acquisitions and divestitures of oil and gas properties, as well as farm-ins and other joint ventures, operating agreements and related agreements. He also has midstream experience, including transactions involving midstream joint ventures, gathering agreements, processing agreements and fractionation agreements. King has represented oil and gas companies in acquisitions, joint ventures and projects in the Eagle Ford, Marcellus, Barnett, Haynesville, Fayetteville and Utica shales in the United States, and international projects in Australia, Colombia, Ecuador, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Indonesia and Peru. King received a JD with honors from the University of Texas School of Law in 2000, where he was a member of the Texas Law Review and was named to the Order of the Coif. He received a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Baylor University in 1994.

Paul Hastings opens office in Houston with 3 partners

Paul Hastings LLP has opened a Houston office with three energy-focused transactional partners, including Greg Nelson, Paris Theofanidis and Steven Tredennick. Nelson will chair the new office, joining the firm from Baker Botts LLP, where he was chair of the tax department. Paris Theofanidis joins from Vinson & Elkins LLP, while Steven Tredennick, a private equity and mergers and acquisitions lawyer, joins from Bracewell & Giuliani LLP. Kevin Fisher, a finance and restructuring partner, has relocated from the firm's San Francisco office to help establish and build the Houston office.

Swift lists 10 highest paying contract jobs

Swift Worldwide Resources has compiled "Ten Highest Paid Contract Jobs in Oil & Gas" after examining salary and compensation packages for more than 270 contract positions in the oil and gas industry throughout the world. The list is: (1) Project services director in Western Australia, up to $2,681 per day; (2) Project manager in Western Australia, up to $2,303 per day; (3) Project manager in US offshore, up to $2,293 per day; (4) Drilling engineer in Iraq, up to $2,269 per day; (5) Wellsite leader in Iraq, up to $2,263 per day; (6) Project manager in Iraq, up to $2,221 per day; (7) Project Services Director in Iraq, up to $2,220 per day; (8) Wellsite geologist in US offshore, up to $2,199 per day; (9) Project manager in the Alaskan North Slope, up to $2,178 per day; and (10) Completions senior engineer in Australia, up to $2,151 per day. "Taking into account different jobs and locations, we looked at ... more than 4,000 positions. We found that many variables factor into the amount of compensation one receives working in the oil & gas industry, including demand, skill set, location, and even incentives to hire locals," said Swift CEO Tobias Read. "Our research shows that oil & gas professionals with certain specialized training, combined with a willingness to leave friends and family for weeks at a time to work in remote or dangerous locations, are paid well for their sacrifices."More Oil & Gas Financial Journal Current Issue Articles
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