ENERGY PLAYERS

John Taylor, chairman of OPITO, said: "David was a vocal champion of OPITO, a much-respected industry leader, a firm advocate of social responsibility; and a trusted colleague and friend to many. His straight-talking approach, determination and passionate belief that all oil and gas workers regardless of their job role, their employer or their nationality should be able to travel to work and return home safely at the end of the day, helped drive positive change in countless countries around the world and inspired great loyalty among those who knew him. His loss is sorely felt by us all. Our thoughts are with David's wife, Gillian, and his family at this difficult time."

Born and raised in St Andrews, Scotland, David was educated at Madras College. With an early background in engineering, he worked on major offshore projects in the North Sea for more than 25 years before moving onshore in 1994 to lead on maintenance support contracts as a business unit operations manager with KBR. He joined OPITO's in 1999 as head of the audit team and worked steadily to broaden his knowledge and experience, including returning to education to complete an MBA with the Open University.

Doig was appointed chief executive in spring 2005, then Group CEO following the creation of OPITO International in 2009 where he forged new relationships and advised governments, NOCs, IOCs and contractors on workforce development strategies.

Boney named partner at Opportune

James (Jim) Boney was named a partner at Opportune LLP. Boney will continue his focus on providing outsourcing services to Opportune's upstream and midstream clients. He has led outsourcing services at Opportune since its acquisition of PetroAcct LP in 2009. Boney's background, spanning more than 40 years, includes extensive experience in the financial management of oil and gas exploration and production companies. He specializes in transactional process and reporting, land administration, production allocation and reporting, system conversions and implementation, technical research and joint venture compliance review. Before forming PetroAcct LP in 1999, Boney served as controller of Transco Energy Co.'s oil and gas E&P subsidiaries.

Daches joins Lilis Energy as CFO

Lilis Energy Inc. has appointed Joseph C. Daches, CPA, as its new executive vice president, CFO, and treasurer. Daches has over 20 years of experience in directing strategy, accounting and finance in primarily small and mid-size oil and gas companies. Prior to joining Lilis Energy, Daches held the position of CFO at Magnum Hunter Resources (MHR) where he concluded his tenure by guiding MHR through a restructuring and upon emergence was appointed co-CEO by the new board of directors. Daches holds a Bachelor of Science in accounting and is a licensed CPA in Texas. Lilis Energy is a San Antonio-based independent oil and gas exploration and production company that operates in the Permian's Delaware Basin and in the Denver-Julesburg Basin.

Gardere welcomes five to Mexico City office

Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP has added two partners and three associates to the firm's international trade practice in Mexico City. The group joins Gardere from Carrasco, García Abogados, S.C. and Trade Law Consultores, S.C. Partner Marcos Carrasco-Menchaca provides advisory and consulting services related to international trade, customs, free trade agreements, customs litigation and taxation on foreign trade, as well as rendering services in international contracting and administrative litigation. Carrasco is currently an advisor on foreign trade for major multinational and national companies in the retail, fashion, oil and gas, automotive, auto parts and manufacturing industries. During President Vicente Fox's administration (2000-2006), partner Alejandro Nemo Gómez-Strozzi served as the undersecretary of economy in charge of foreign investment, standards and trade remedies. In addition, he has previously led the Mexican Investigative Authority regarding trade remedies in the Ministry of Economy. Gómez focuses on international trade, antidumping, customs, foreign trade and Mexican administrative law. Miguel Angel Concha-Fuentes, Luis Jahir Contreras-Guadarrama and Alberto Santillán-Gaitán are joining Gardere as associates. Concha is a foreign trade and customs attorney who specializes in customs and administrative litigation, customs advisory and unfair international trade practices, primarily dumping. In addition, Contreras provides advisory and consulting services related to foreign trade, customs and free trade agreements. Santillán specializes in advising and consulting on international trade and taxes on foreign trade, as well as customs and administrative litigation.

Douglass joins Baker Botts London

James Douglass, a lawyer who specializes in the development and financing of energy and infrastructure projects, has joined Baker Botts in London as a partner. Douglass has over 24 years of experience and has been involved in ground breaking projects across the power, oil and gas, and infrastructure sectors. He obtained a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Queensland, Australia, and is qualified to practice in Queensland, England & Wales, and Hong Kong.

Cisarik elected chairman of the Texas Pipeline Association

James A. Cisarik, Enterprise Products Holdings LLC's senior vice president of government affairs and public relations, has been elected chairman of the Texas Pipeline Association (TPA). TPA is the largest state trade association in the country that solely represents the interests of the intrastate pipeline network. From February 2003 to January 2014, Cisarik served as a senior vice president of Enterprise, where he had primary responsibility for the oversight of the company's intrastate natural gas pipelines and projects derived from LNG and other natural gas business development. Prior to joining Enterprise, Cisarik was a senior vice president of Coral Energy LLC, and from 1997 to February 1999 was vice president, market development of Tejas Energy LLC. He graduated from the University of Texas with a bachelor of business administration degree in petroleum land management.

Willkie adds energy and commodities partners in Washington

Energy and commodities lawyers Paul J. Pantano, Jr., and Athena Yvonne Eastwood have joined the Washington office of Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP. They were formerly partners at Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP. Pantano, Jr. represents energy companies, commodity and swap dealers, financial institutions, brokerage firms and trade associations in a wide variety of transactional, regulatory, investigative and litigation matters. He regularly represents clients in investigations and regulatory matters before the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and commodity exchanges. Prior to entering private practice, he was a trial attorney in the Division of Enforcement of the CFTC. Eastwood represents energy companies, agricultural cooperatives, commodity and swap dealers, financial institutions and brokerage firms in regulatory, legislative, transactional and investigative matters involving commodities and derivatives before the CFTC and commodity exchanges. She has extensive experience with respect to all aspects of implementation of the Dodd-Frank Act and its impact on end-users, swap dealers, futures commission merchants, commodity pool operators and commodity trading advisors.

Latham & Watkins adds two energy regulatory partners

Patrick Nevins and Eugene Elrod have joined the Washington, DC office of Latham & Watkins LLP as partners in the firm's energy - oil and gas industry group and the eenergy regulatory and markets practice. Both energy lawyers focus on natural gas, LNG, and oil matters, particularly oil and gas transportation regulation at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Nevins and Elrod joined Latham from Hogan Lovells and Sidley Austin, respectively. Nevins received his BA in Economics from University of Virginia, graduating with distinction, and his JD from Georgetown University, graduating magna cum laude and receiving an Order of the Coif. Elrod received his AB from Dartmouth College, graduating cum laude, and a JD from Emory University Law School.

Two join Steelhead LNG executive leadership team

Steelhead LNG has appointed two new members to its executive team. Paul Sullivan, formerly senior vice president of Global LNG and Floating LNG (FLNG) at Worley Parsons Group, has been appointed vice president, projects. Sullivan has had a long career in engineering and construction, with more than 25 years managing liquefied natural gas import and export projects. He previously led the FEED group at British Gas, where he was involved in the development, from concept to implementation, of the company's liquefaction and regasification projects. Gerry Peereboom has been appointed vice president, integration. Peereboom has more than 38 years of international experience on major oil, gas and LNG projects for companies such as Noble Energy, BP and Amoco. Peereboom was president of Atlantic LNG in Trinidad when it was developed for BP/Amoco in the mid-1990s. He then served as President of Tangguh LNG for BP, based in Indonesia. Peereboom will lead the schedule, risk assessment and risk mitigation across the company, while playing a key role in the ongoing structuring of the midstream and interface with Steelhead LNG's upstream partner, Seven Generations Energy. He will also oversee the development and application of Steelhead LNG's environmental stewardship best practices. Both Sullivan and Peereboom will be based out of Steelhead LNG's corporate headquarters in Vancouver, British Columbia.

OPOL makes executive team appointments

The Offshore Pollution Liability Association Limited (OPOL) has appointed Jacquelynn Craw as a new managing director. OPOL also confirmed the reappointment of its current chairman, Colin Wannell. Craw succeeds Niall Scott as managing director, who held the post since 2011. Scott stepped down at the end of December. Craw has previously served on OPOL's board and is a consultant to international law firm CMS Cameron McKenna. She was formerly general counsel of Fairfield Energy Ltd. She has 25 years of experience working with major oil and gas companies including Shell and Talisman Energy. Wannell spent the first part of his career as an insurance professional holding senior positions in BP's insurance department. He was called to the Bar in 2001 (Inner Temple) and practiced as an employed barrister working in BP's legal department where he specialized in international trade law. He retired from his position in BP's legal department as managing counsel oil trading and regulation (Europe) in January 2016. Wannell was BP's nominated director of OPOL for more than 20 years. He was elected to serve as chairman in 2008, a position he held until his retirement from BP. Since then, he has continued to serve OPOL in the capacity of an independent chair at the invitation of the board. Wannell continues to practice law as a consultant providing legal services to commodity trading houses. He is also a director of a Guernsey based risk management services provider (Thorndon Holdings Limited).

Bonebrake joins Lazard as a managing director

Kevin Bonebrake has joined Lazard Ltd. as a managing director, financial advisory. Based in Houston, he will advise companies in the oil and gas sector on mergers and acquisitions and other financial matters. Bonebrake has more than 12 years of energy-sector advisory experience, with a focus on North American independent exploration and production companies, majors and national oil companies. He joins Lazard from Morgan Stanley, where he was most recently a managing director in the firm's Global Natural Resources practice within the Investment Banking Division. Between 2003 and 2009 he worked for Salomon Smith Barney/Citigroup as a member of its Global Energy Investment Banking team.

C&C Reservoirs appoints Faroppa chief geoscientist, SVP

C&C Reservoirs has appointed James Faroppa as chief geoscientist and senior vice president, services. Faroppa brings over 20 years of operator experience to C&C Reservoirs and has worked on a broad range of geological plays, basins, and countries, from onshore unconventional to deep-water oil and gas discoveries. Before joining C&C Reservoirs, Faroppa served as vice president, geosciences for Murphy Oil. Prior to Murphy, Faroppa worked for Kosmos Energy as vice president, Sub-Saharan Africa and BG Group. Faroppa received an MBA from Duke University in 2007. C&C Reservoirs is a global, analogs-based software and services company with offices in the US, the UK, and China.

Peterson names Forbes to leadership team

International energy logistics provider Peterson has appointed Sarah Forbes as director projects and innovation. The appointment follows an investment by Peterson in Core29, the project management and consultancy business founded by Forbes in Aberdeen in 2012. Forbes has 15 years' industry experience in a number of senior roles focused on implementing innovative business systems and supporting organizations deliver improved efficiency and cost reductions through technology. Forbes will continue as a director of Core29 with Jaye Deighton, strategy delivery director, assuming a key operational role within the company.