Energy Players

Peyto Exploration & Development Corp.'s vice president of land, Glenn Booth, has retired from Peyto, culminating 36 successful years in the industry. Booth was an integral part of the Peyto team from 2005 through 2011. Timothy Louie has joined Peyto as the vice president of land. Louie brings to Peyto over 20 years of industry experience with several years of recent experience in the Deep Basin of Alberta.

Opportune promotes four

Opportune LLP has made four promotions within the firm. Matt Flanagan was recently promoted to partner. He has over 18 years of experience in global refining and marketing, pipelines and transportation (liquids and gas), exploration & production, petrochemicals and mining. His primary focus areas include mergers & acquisitions, business operations and planning, energy trading and risk management, hydrocarbon supply chain management, logistics, asset maintenance and reliability, and leading large scale business transformation initiatives. Prior to joining Opportune in February 2010 as a director, Flanagan led the M&A and Commercial Systems groups for Petroplus Marketing AG, the largest independent refining and marketing company in Europe. Prior to Petroplus, he was in the consulting industry where he managed multiple project teams through large scale business-led IT programs. The firm has also promoted Alan Allen, Kurt King, and Lynn Loden to managing director positions. Allen has been promoted to managing director in Opportune's Process and Technology Practice. He has 17 years of experience in building and leading teams responsible for the development and implementations of complex technical solutions for his clients. King, now also a managing director in Opportune's Process and Technology Practice, has 18 years of diverse, energy supply, pipelines, trading and risk management experience gained through operational, strategic and consulting roles with public and private companies. Loden is now a managing director in Opportune's Tax Practice. He has over 30 years of corporate tax and accounting experience with Big Four public accounting firms and leads the Transaction Support and Taxation Group at Opportune. Opportune LLP is a consulting firm specializing in assisting energy clients with corporate finance, complex financial reporting, process and technology, strategy and organization, dispute resolution, enterprise risk, tax and outsourcing.

Apache names EVP of HR

Apache Corp. has elected Margery M. Harris as executive vice president of human resources. She joined Apache in 2007 as vice president of human resources and was promoted to senior vice president in 2011. Harris' experience leading HR teams includes assignments as executive vice president and senior vice president of human resources with Texas Genco LLC, a wholesale power generator company; senior vice president of human resources and administration of Integrated Electrical Services, Inc.; and vice president at Santa Fe Snyder Corp., an independent exploration and production company. Harris began her professional career as a land man at Shell Oil Co. She holds a bachelor's degree from the Ohio State University and a master's of business administration from the University of St. Thomas.

MLV expands energy sector equity research team

Michael D. Peterson has joined the equity research team of MLV & Co., a boutique investment bank focused on capital intensive industries, as managing director and senior energy research analyst where he will expand MLV's product offerings in the energy sector. Prior to joining MLV & Co., Peterson covered integrated oil, refining and exploration & production equities for International Strategy & Investment Group, Morgan Stanley and SunTrust Robinson Humphrey. He also traded energy commodities for Duke Energy and equity index products at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange for Prudential Securities. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago in International Finance, an MS from the Illinois Institute of Technology in Financial Markets & Trading, and a BA from the University of Denver in Political Science and Economics.

Dewberry names Breitmayer energy segment leader

Dewberry, a privately held professional services firm, has named David Breitmayer as energy segment leader with emphasis on services to the oil and natural gas industry. In this new role, he will focus on developing value-added solutions and deepening client relationships in the industry for Dewberry's surveying, land development, transportation, water resources, permitting, and environmental service lines. Breitmayer most recently held the position of senior business consultant for Golder Associates Inc. where he developed a western Pennsylvania presence with a focus on Marcellus Shale clients. Breitmayer holds a bachelor's degree in economics and business administration from Hillsdale College.

Blake International names president, CEO

Privately held offshore rig provider Blake International Rigs has promoted Beau Blake from VP of business development and administration to president and CEO of USA and Mexico. Blake Jr. joined Blake International USA Rigs on May 23, 2008. He was previously with Blake Offshore LLC which at the time owned and operated four jack-up drilling rigs and two mobile offshore production units. He has previously worked as special projects manager overseeing multiple projects, Crane Division Marketing Manager. He studied at Nicholls State University under the Petroleum Services Program. Blake International US Rigs LLC was formed in May 2008 by acquiring the self-erecting offshore platform drilling and workover units of Pride International Inc.

Robert Shaw resigns Transocean VP post

Robert S. Shaw notified offshore drilling contractor Transocean Ltd. of his resignation as vice president, controller, and principal accounting officer to pursue other opportunities. He will remain with the company for a period of time "sufficient to ensure a smooth transition of responsibilities," and his departure "is not related to any disagreements with the company's accounting, financial reporting or internal control over financial reporting," noted the company in a press release January 25. Effective immediately, Gregory L. Cauthen, who is currently serving as interim CFO following the recent resignation of Ricardo H. Rosa, will assume the responsibilities of controller and principal accounting officer pending identification of Shaw's replacement.

Tuppen joins Wild Well Control as manager

Wild Well Control, a Superior Energy Services company, has named James Tuppen as manager, International Well Control Operations. Tuppen has more than 30 years of experience in the oil and gas industry involving snubbing services, pressure control and well control operations. Tuppen will be based in Dubai, UAE. Wild Well Control is a provider of well control, well control engineering, marine and training services.

Gusella resigns executive positions at Connacher

Richard A. Gusella has relinquished his positions as chairman, CEO, president, and interim COO of Connacher O&G Ltd. In addition, he is no longer a director of the company. Gusella served with the company for 11 years. On an interim basis, Colin M. Evans and Kelly J. Ogle, both currently directors of Connacher, have been appointed co-managing directors of Connacher. Evans is presently the lead director of Connacher and is the president of Evans & Co. Inc., a private consulting corporation providing financial and operating advisory services to oil and gas corporations. Ogle is the president and CEO of Trafina Energy Ltd. Evans and Ogle will oversee the day to day operations of Connacher.

Kristoffersen appointed senior VP at Total

Helle Kristoffersen has been appointed senior vice president, Strategy & Business Intelligence at Total. She is a member of the management committee and secretary of the executive committee of Total. She succeeds Jean-Jacques Mosconi, who has been named senior vice president, Refining & Petrochemicals Europe. Kristoffersen joined Total in January 2011 as deputy vice president, Strategy & Business Intelligence. She began her career in 1989 as a Mergers & Acquisitions analyst at investment bank Lazard Frères. In 1991, she moved to Bolloré, serving as a Special Advisor to the CFO. In 1994, she joined Alcatel, where she served in positions of increasing responsibility until 2010. Kristoffersen was elected to the board of directors of Valeo in 2007 and of France Telecom-Orange in 2011. A graduate of the Ecole Normale Supérieure and the Paris Graduate School of Economics, Statistics and Finance (ENSAE), Kristoffersen also holds a master's degree in econometrics from Université Paris 1 and is an alumna of the Institute for Higher National Defence Studies (IHEDN).

Petro Matad names Zebrowitz COO

Petro Matad Ltd., the parent company of a group focused on oil exploration, as well as future development and production in Mongolia, has appointed Mark Zebrowitz to its senior management team as COO. Zebrowitz previously served as the company's drilling manager. Petro Matad's former COO, Rodney Graham, is leaving Petro Matad to resume his career in the mineral sector. Graham will still be based in Mongolia and is to continue to provide consultancy services to Petro Matad, managing its oil shale prospects. Zebrowitz joined Petro Matad in March 2011 and holds over 25 years of diverse international exploration and development experience. The group holds the sole operatorship of three Production Sharing Contracts with the Government of Mongolia. Block XX has an area of 10,340km² in the far eastern part of the country. Blocks, IV and V are located in central Mongolia. Block IV covers approximately 29,000km² and Block V approximately 21,150km².

Africa focused Ophir names Mitchell CFO

Ophir Energy plc has named Lisa Mitchell as CFO. With 20 years' experience as a senior finance officer in the oil and gas, mining and resources sectors, Mitchell's previous roles included CFO at Pan Pacific Petroleum NL and CFO at GCM Resources plc. She began her career with Mobil Oil Australia. She holds a Bachelor of Economics (major in Accounting) from La Trobe University, Melbourne and has recently achieved a Graduate Diploma in Applied Corporate Governance from the Chartered Secretaries Australia. Ophir Energy plc is a UK incorporated holding company with interests in 17 oil and gas exploration projects in eight different African jurisdictions. The Group's headquarters are located in London (England), with operational offices in Perth (Australia), Malabo (Equatorial Guinea), Dar es Salaam/Mtwara (Tanzania) and Dakar (Senegal).

Taylor joins Stone Energy board

Stone Energy Corp. has added Phyllis M. Taylor to its board of directors. Taylor is the chairman and CEO of Taylor Energy Co. LLC. Taylor is a graduate of Tulane University School of Law in New Orleans. She served as law clerk for the Supreme Court of Louisiana and subsequently in-house counsel for a private energy company. She also serves as chairman and president of the Patrick F. Taylor Foundation.