ENERGY PLAYERS

Occidental Petroleum Corp.'s board of directors has approved a CEO succession plan and promoted Vicki A. Hollub to senior executive vice president of Occidental and president of Oxy Oil and Gas, responsible for operations in the US, Middle East, and Latin America. The board plans for Hollub, who has served as executive vice president of Occidental and president, Oxy Oil and Gas - Americas, since 2014, to succeed Stephen I. Chazen as CEO of Occidental after a transition period. The company has also elected Eugene L. Batchelder non-executive chairman, succeeding Ambassador Edward P. Djerejian, who has retired from the board. Hollub has 35 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, holding technical and leadership roles, both domestic and international. In 2013, she was appointed vice president of Occidental Petroleum Corp. and executive vice president, US Operations, Oxy Oil and Gas. She previously served as executive vice president, California Operations; and as president and general manager, Permian Basin operations. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in mineral engineering from the University of Alabama. She began her career in 1981 with Cities Service, which was acquired by Occidental in 1982. Batchelder joined the board as an independent director in 2013, and has been serving as a member of the Audit; Environment, Health and Safety; and Management Succession and Talent Development committees. He has more than 40 years of experience in the energy industry, including two decades in senior management, most recently at ConocoPhillips, where he served until his retirement in 2012.

STATOIL MAKES CORPORATE STRUCTURE, MANAGEMENT CHANGES

Statoil has appointed a new CFO, and has launched a business area for New Energy Solutions. Three new executive vice presidents have been appointed as members of the Corporate Executive Committee. CFO Torgrim Reitan has been appointed EVP for Development & Production USA (DPUSA) after Bill Maloney decided to not prolong his contract with Statoil. Hans Jakob Hegge has been appointed as the company's new EVP and CFO. Hegge comes from the position as senior vice president for Operations North in Development & Production Norway. Reitan and Hegge will start their new roles Aug. 1. Irene Rummelhoff has been appointed EVP for New Energy Solutions, and Jens Økland has been named the new EVP for Marketing, Midstream & Processing. Rummelhoff and Økland start in their new positions on June 1.

GOODRICH CHAIRMAN RETIRES

Patrick E. Malloy III, chairman of the board of directors of Goodrich Petroleum Corp., has retired due to health reasons. Malloy served on the board since 2000 and as chairman since 2003. His retirement was effective May 11. Goodrich will designate a new chairman at its next board meeting.

CAMERON NAMES NEXT CEO

Cameron has made a planned leadership change, involving the CEO role, as part of its long-range succession planning process. Jack B. Moore, chairman of the board and CEO, plans to retire as CEO on Oct. 5. Moore will continue to serve as chairman of the board beyond October. The board has named R. Scott Rowe as CEO of the company, effective Oct. 5. Rowe was named president and COO in September 2014.

LAWRENCE JOINS GREENBERG TRAURIG

Gregory K. Lawrence will join the international law firm Greenberg Traurig LLP as a senior member of its Global Energy and Infrastructure practice. Lawrence, who joins the firm from Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft, has extensive experience before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and multiple state utility commissions regarding complex regulatory and enforcement matters, trading and market structure issues, transactions and governmental affairs. Based in the firm's Washington DC and Boston offices, Lawrence will focus his practice on the electricity and natural gas industries, representing financial institutions, investment and private equity funds, marketers, commodity traders, renewable and other project developers, municipal and investor-owned utilities, and large energy consumers.

ERIN ENERGY APPOINTS HEARNE SVP, CFO

Erin Energy Corp. has appointed Christopher J. Hearne as senior vice president and CFO, effective June 1. Earl McNiel, the company's current CFO, will resign to pursue other interests, effective May 31. Hearne will join the company from Serica Energy Plc, where he has served as CFO and member of the board since 2005. McNiel has agreed to remain as a consultant to the company to assist with the transition of duties to Hearne. Erin Energy is an independent oil and gas exploration and production company focused on energy resources in Sub-Saharan Africa.

HOUSTON AMERICAN ENERGY CEO RESIGNS AS PART OF SEC SETTLEMENT

Houston American Energy Corp. has reached a final settlement agreement in the civil cease-and-desist proceeding previously instituted by the SEC against the company and its CEO, John F. Terwilliger. In the settlement of the fraud charges, the company and Terwilliger did not admit or deny any wrongdoing, but agreed that each would cease and desist from committing or causing any violations of Section 17(a) of the Securities Act and Section 10(b) of the Exchange and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder; the company would pay a civil monetary penalty in the amount of $400,000; Terwilliger would pay a civil monetary penalty in the amount of $150,000; and Terwilliger would be prohibited from serving or acting as an officer or director of a public company for a period of five years. In conjunction with the settlement, Terwilliger has tendered his resignation as an officer and director of Houston American Energy. The company has appointed John P. Boylan as chairman, CEO, and president and named Roy Jageman as a director. Boylan has served as a director, and as chair of the audit and compensation committees, of the company since 2006. He is a licensed certified public accountant and provides financial and management advisory services to the oil and gas industry. Terwilliger remains employed by the company in a non-executive advisory capacity at least through the end of 2015 to facilitate the management transition. Jageman is a private investor and consultant to the energy industry with more than 25 years of industry experience. He has served as CFO and in other senior executive positions with oil and gas producers and in management capacities with investment banking and financial advisory firms.

WELLS FARGO PROMOTES HRANICKY, SCHOUEST

Wells Fargo & Company has named Kyle Hranicky as the new head of the Wells Fargo Corporate Banking group. Hranicky, who is based in Houston, succeeds Mike Johnson, who is retiring after 32 years with the company. Hranicky has led the Wells Fargo Energy Group within Corporate Banking since 2006. Previously, he was a regional manager within Loan Syndications, part of Wells Fargo's Debt Capital Markets business. He joined Wells Fargo in 1995 in Commercial Banking. Bart Schouest, who has served as the deputy group head of the Wells Fargo Energy Group since 2012, will replace Hranicky as head of the Energy Group. He joined as the result of Wells Fargo's acquisition of BNP Paribas' North American energy business, and led the integration of the two teams. Additionally as deputy group head, Schouest oversaw the growth of the Energy Group's Oil & Gas Division and Large Corporate Energy and Power Division. He will report to Hranicky.

ADDISON JOINS MANATT, PHELPS & PHILLIPS

Daniel R. Addison has joined the Federal Government Affairs and Public Policy practice of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP as a partner in the Washington, DC office. He will provide critical strategic positioning and support to clients as they navigate federal and international environmental policies. He will also advise on crisis management issues and facilitate alternative dispute resolutions and mediations. Addison served in senior-level positions in both the Reagan and first Bush administrations. Addison spent the last two decades working closely with the famed lobbyist the late Tommy Boggs. He has served as special counsel (Natural Resources) at the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, as National Natural Resource Damages counsel for the American International Group, and as an acting associate administrator for Industry and Congressional Affairs at the US General Services Administration, heading the agency's strategic business initiatives and legislative strategy. In the private sector, Addison served as vice president for Government and International Affairs at Pacific Research and Strategies Inc. Addison earned his JD from Catholic University of America, his MA from Claremont Graduate University and his BA from Claremont McKenna College.

ROGERS JOINS GREENHILL AS MANAGING DIRECTOR

Greenhill & Co. Inc., an independent investment bank, has named James C.V. (Jim) Rogers as a managing director based in Houston and focused on the energy sector. Rogers most recently led the Houston office of TD Securities, where he has focused on advising energy clients, primarily in the exploration and production sector. He began his career as a petroleum geologist before earning his MBA at University of Western Ontario and moving to investment banking roles at Salomon Brothers and then Deutsche Bank before joining TD Securities. In total he has 25 years of investment banking experience, nearly all of which have been focused on the energy sector.

STEPTOE & JOHNSON ADDS NICHOLSON TO ENERGY TRANSACTIONAL TEAM

Steptoe & Johnson PLLC has added Roger L. Nicholson to its Energy Transactional Team. A 25-year legal veteran who works with energy industry clients on commercial and transactional matters, he will practice in the firm's Charleston, West Virginia, office. He is admitted to practice before the state courts of Kentucky and West Virginia. Nicholson earned his law degree from the University of Kentucky College of Law and his bachelor's degree from Georgetown College, in Georgetown, Kentucky.

ENERGY ATTORNEY HAMMOND JOINS BABST CALLAND

Jay Hammond has joined Babst Calland as a shareholder in the firm's Energy and Natural Resources and Business Services groups. Hammond is the former vice president and general counsel of Atlas Energy and the former supervising counsel for Chevron North America Exploration and Production's Appalachian/Michigan business unit. Previously, he also held key legal positions with CNX Gas Corp. and CONSOL Energy. He is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and the District of Columbia and is a graduate of Cornell Law School, Oxford University and Harvard College.

SUTHERLAND ADDS NEW PARTNER

Jenni Lajzerowicz has joined the Energy, Environmental and Commodities Practice Group as a partner in the London office of Sutherland. Prior to joining Sutherland, Jenni practiced at the London offices of Norton Rose Fulbright LLP. Lajzerowicz counsels energy and natural resources companies on dispute resolution and transactional matters relating to trading and shipping of oil, gas, metals and natural resources and their extraction. In upstream energy, she advises on offshore EPC/construction, joint operating agreement disputes, project development, production sharing and maritime matters including offshore support vessels, semi-submersibles and pipeline/cable laying.

PETTERSON JOINS CHESAPEAKE IN EVP ROLE

Frank Patterson has joined Chesapeake Energy Corp. as executive vice president - exploration, land and subsurface technology. Patterson replaces John Kapchinske, who recently from the company. Patterson will report to Chesapeake's CEO Doug Lawler. Patterson served in various roles at Anadarko Petroleum Corp. from 2006 to 2015, most recently as senior vice president - international exploration. Patterson led the teams responsible for the discovery and appraisal of multiple large discoveries across Ghana, Mozambique, Brazil and Cote d'Ivoire. Patterson previously worked as vice president - deepwater exploration at Kerr-McGee, and as manager - geology at Sun E&P/Oryx Energy. He holds a Bachelor of Science in geology from the University of Oklahoma and serves on the Board of Visitors at the University of Oklahoma's Mewbourne College of Earth and Energy.

ENCAP FLATROCK MIDSTREAM HIRES KING AS SENIOR ADVISOR

Gregory C. King has joined EnCap Flatrock Midstream as a senior advisor. King comes to EnCap Flatrock with more than 30 years of experience in the energy industry. From 2003 to 2007, King served as the president of Valero Energy Corp. King started working for Valero in 1993, and served the company in various roles before he was named president including general counsel and COO. King is a member of the board of directors of QEP Midstream Partners LP, Philadelphia Energy Solutions LLC, and Jonah Energy LLC. In 2008, he formed GCK Ventures LLC, a San Antonio, Texas-based private equity firm focusing on energy investments and consulting, real estate, and public equities. He remains active as the company's principal. King earned his Juris Doctorate at the University of Houston Law Center and practiced law as a partner at Bracewell & Giuliani LLP's Houston office from 1985 to 1993. He received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in finance from the University of Texas.

DECC APPOINTS RUDD AS SECRETARY OF STATE FOR ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

The UK Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has appointed Amber Rudd as Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, effective May 11. Rudd was the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the DECC from July 2014 until May. She served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2012 to 2013, and as Assistant Whip from October 2013. After graduating from the University of Edinburgh with a degree in history, Rudd worked in investment banking in London and New York, before moving into venture capital. She then set up a freelance recruitment business and wrote for financial publications, before being elected to Parliament in May 2010.

FMC TECHNOLOGIES NAMES PFERDEHIRT AS PRESIDENT

FMC Technologies Inc. has appointed Douglas J. Pferdehirt as president of the company. Pferdehirt assumes this responsibility from John T. Gremp, who remains chairman and CEO. Pferdehirt previously served as executive vice president and COO. He will assume the role of president immediately, while retaining his position as COO, responsible for leading the company's three business segments. Before joining FMC Technologies in 2012, Pferdehirt had a 26-year career with Schlumberger, where he held a number of leadership positions.