ENERGY PLAYERS

Occidental Petroleum Corp. has promoted Vicki A. Hollub to president and COO and appointed her to the Board. As part of the previously disclosed succession plan, the board of directors noted that Hollub will succeed Stephen I. Chazen as Occidental's CEO effective at the company's 2016 annual shareholder meeting. Hollub was appointed senior executive vice president of Occidental and president - Oxy Oil and Gas, earlier this year. She 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. Chazen will be nominated to the board for an additional term following his service as the company's CEO.

WELLDOG NAMES THORNOCK GROUP CFO

Trenton Thornock has joined WellDog, an energy-focused technical services company, as group CFO. Based in Houston, Thornock will oversee WellDog's finance operations globally. Prior to joining WellDog, he was senior vice president and CFO of Scientific Drilling International. Thornock currently serves as a board member at Breitling Energy Corp. He holds a Bachelor's of Accounting and Masters of Professional Accountancy from University of Utah and is a Certified Public Accountant, not in public practice.

SPE ABERDEEN SECTION APPOINTS PHILLIPS AS NEW CHAIRMAN

The Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Aberdeen Section board has elected Ian Phillips, chief executive of the Oil and Gas Innovation Centre (OGIC), as its new chairman. Phillips assumes the role from Shankar Bhukya, who has stepped down ahead of a move to Singapore. Phillips, an MBA-qualified chartered petroleum engineer with more than 30 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, has participated in the growth of the SPE Aberdeen Section over the last 30 years. With the SPE Aberdeen Section, he has held positions including chairman, treasurer, and Continuing Education Committee chair. In addition, he has served as the North Sea regional director on the SPE International Board. Most recently, he has been the director on the SPE Aberdeen board and has held responsibility for the Section's Offshore Achievement Awards. Prior to his current full-time role as chief executive of the Oil and Gas Innovation Centre, Phillips held a number of positions in the UK oil and gas industry, including vice president of project development at Ramco Energy and project director at BP. Latterly, his career has focused on innovation in carbon capture and storage, with roles including founding director of CO2DeepStore and business development director at Pale Blue Dot Energy.

HACKLEY JOINS BABST CALLAND

Grant Hackley joined Babst Calland as an associate in the Energy & Natural Resources Group. Hackley's practice focuses on energy law, counseling clients on a wide array of issues related to ownership of and title to oil and gas, including the preparation of oil and gas title opinions, title examination, litigation and contractual issues. He is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.

CHALABALA TO COVER E&P FOR STRH

Karl Chalabala has joined SunTrust Robinson Humphrey as a director, working with senior energy analyst Neal Dingmann, to cover the Exploration & Production space out of Houston. Chalabala has more than eight years of experience as an energy desk specialist and as a senior publishing research analyst. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Delaware.

EQT NAMES SCHLOTTERBECK AS PRESIDENT

EQT Corp. has appointed Steven T. Schlotterbeck as president, succeeding David Porges in the role. Porges will remain chairman and CEO of EQT and Schlotterbeck will retain his title of president of exploration and production. Schlotterbeck joined EQT in 2000. In 2008, he was promoted to vice president of EQT and and president of production. He became senior vice president of EQT and president of exploration and production in 2010, and was then appointed executive vice president of EQT in 2013. Schlotterbeck is also a director of EQT GP Services LLC, the general partner of EQT GP Holdings LP.

SANTOS CEO TO ASSUME POST IN FEBRUARY

Australia's Santos Ltd. has appointed Kevin Gallagher as the company's new managing director and CEO. Gallagher will commence his duties on February 1, 2016. He previously served as CEO of Clough Ltd. His appointment was announced in November.

TPH MAKES MANAGEMENT CHANGES

Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. (TPH) has made management changes to further enhance both its capital markets and securities research service offerings and execution capabilities. Jeff Tillery, previously managing director and co-head of research, transitioned to become co-head of capital markets. He brings nearly 15 years of senior energy equity research experience to his new role, the last five of which also included serving as head of research for TPH. He will co-head the expanded capital markets team with John Kennedy. In conjunction with this transition, W. Mark Meyer, managing director and current co-head of research, assumed the role of head of research. He joined TPH in February to help lead the firm's research effort and brings almost 30 years of combined energy experience to the table, including the last 16 as a lead sell-side E&P analyst and buy-side portfolio manager. In addition, Byron K. Pope, managing director and previous co-head of oil sservice research, now serves as head of oil service research. Pope, who joined TPH predecessor firm Pickering Energy Partners as a founding member in 2004, brings both sell-side and buy-side experience to his lead analyst role.

OPENLINK NAMES NEW CEO

OpenLink, a provider of trading and risk management solutions to the energy, commodities, corporate, and financial services industries, has named John O'Malley to succeed Mark Greene as CEO as Greene announced his intention to retire. Greene will continue to serve on the OpenLink Board as an independent director. Most recently, O'Malley was an operating partner for Thoma Bravo after being hired as CEO of Digital Insight. Previously, he held the role of CEO at Panini, a global provider of payment technology. A programmer by training, O'Malley has experience in technology, software product management, and professional services. He has previously led global financial services and technology companies in treasury, capital markets, retail banking, payment processing, global finance and guidance systems in companies such as Fiserv, Hogan Systems, Lockheed Martin and J.H. Harland and Company.

ENSCO NAMES NEW COO

Carey Lowe has been named COO of offshore drilling services provider Ensco plc. Based in London, Lower succeeds Mark Burns, who is retiring from the company. Lowe has held various executive management positions at Ensco since joining the company in 2008.

OCEANEERING APPOINTS TWO TO SVP

Oceaneering International Inc. has appointed Martin J. McDonald as senior vice president, Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs), effective Jan. 1, 2016. He replaces Kevin F. Kerins, who will become Oceaneering's senior vice president, Underwater Vehicle Technologies. McDonald's career spans 26 years with Oceaneering. He most recently served as vice president and general manager of Oceaneering's ROV operations in the Eastern Hemisphere from 2006.

SANCHEZ APPOINTS KOPEL SVP, GENERAL COUNSEL

Sanchez Energy Corp. has appointed Greg Kopel as senior vice president and general counsel, effective Dec. 14. Prior to this appointment, Kopel served as vice president and associate general counsel at Breitburn Energy Partners LP. He has also served in corporate legal positions at Occidental Petroleum Corp. and LINN Energy LLC. Kopel earned a bachelor's degree in government at the University of Texas at Austin, and a juris doctor degree at the University of Houston.

RANDHAWA JOINS D.A. DAVIDSON

Sonny Randhawa has joined investment firm D.A. Davidson & Co.'s institutional research team to provide coverage of the oilfield service and equipment sector. He will work from the firm's offices in Lake Oswego, Oregon. Previously, Randhawa was a senior oilfield service analyst with Banc of America Securities after beginning his energy research career at Friedman Billings Ramsey. Prior to that, he was a senior consultant in the financial and M&A advisory segments at both Arthur Andersen and KPMG. Randhawa earned an MBA from the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Management at Rice University and a BBA from the University of Texas.

FROST BROWN TODD OPENS IN PITTSBURGH

Frost Brown Todd is opening its an office in the downtown area of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with the addition of 10 attorneys formerly with the law firm Burleson LLP. With the opening, Frost Brown Todd enhances its energy industry practice. Kevin Colosimo, formerly with Burleson LLP, is the member-in-charge of the Pittsburgh office. Andrew Jenkins joins Frost Brown Todd as a member after having led the litigation practice at Burleson's Pittsburgh office. Along with litigation, the move brings the mergers, acquisitions, and due diligence team from Burleson to Frost Brown Todd.

HOULIHAN LOKEY EXPANDS, HIRES A&D TEAM

Houlihan Lokey has expanded its Oil & Gas Exploration and Production Group to include an Acquisitions and Divestitures (A&D) team with experience in the oil and gas sector. As part of the expansion, the firm has appointed Kirk Tholen as managing director and head of the A&D practice in Houston. Tholen joins from Credit Agricole's Corporate and Investment Bank, where he was a managing director and group head of A&D, Americas, for the past three years. With close to 25 years of experience in the sector, Tholen's experience spans nearly every aspect of the oil and gas industry. Tholen holds a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and an MBA from the University of Houston.

CABOT OIL & GAS ELECTS NEW DIRECTORS

Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. has elected Dorothy M. Ables and Robert S. Boswell to its board of directors. The addition brings the board total to seven directors, with six qualifying as independent directors. Ables is chief administrative officer of Spectra Energy Corp., a position she has held since 2008. She has held positions of increasing responsibility during her 30 years at Spectra Energy and predecessor companies. She also serves on the board of directors for Spectra Energy's publicly traded MLP, Spectra Energy Partners. Ables has a BBA in accounting from the University of Texas at Austin. Boswell is chairman and CEO of Laramie Energy II LLC, a privately held oil and gas exploration and production company headquartered in Denver, Colorado. Laramie Energy II LLC was formed in June 2007, after the sale of its predecessor company, Laramie Energy I. Before starting Laramie I in 2004, Boswell was chairman and CEO of Forest Oil Corp. Prior to his 14 years with Forest Oil, Boswell spent most of his career with Adams Affiliates as CFO and ultimately as its COO and president. He has a Bachelor of Engineering degree in chemical engineering from Vanderbilt University and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Texas. He is currently a director of Enerflex Ltd.

FIRST RESERVE PROMOTES SEVEN

First Reserve, a private equity and infrastructure investment firm focused on energy, has promoted seven investment professionals across its global private equity and energy infrastructure teams.

James Berner, Adi Blum, Ryan Shockley and Ed Fidler have been promoted to managing directors in the energy infrastructure funds team.

Since joining the firm in 2011, Berner has held leadership roles in First Reserve's investments in North American Power I (and its various follow-on investments), Fort Detrick Energy, and most recently Kingfisher Wind. He holds a bachelor's degree from Cornell University, an MBA from the Wharton School of Business, and a master's degree from the School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University. He is based in the firm's Greenwich, Connecticut, office.

Blum joined the office in 2011 and most recently led the firm's investments with industry partners in Mexico, such as Los Ramones II and La Bufa Wind, and has led teams for the firm's First Caribbean Power & Midstream and SunEdison Reserve investments. He holds a bachelor's degree from Georgetown University, School of Foreign Service, and an MBA degree from New York University. He is based in Greenwich.

Shockley originally joined First Reserve's Private Equity Funds as an associate in 2004, returning as a vice president in 2008 after earning an MBA. For the Private Equity Funds, he focused primarily in the power and equipment, manufacturing, and services sectors, and was a member of the team that executed the PrimeLine Utility Services investment for First Reserve Fund XII. In 2014, he moved to the energy infrastructure funds where he led the firm's efforts with FR Warehouse and other investment opportunities. He holds a bachelor's degree from Kalamazoo College and an MBA degree from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He is based in Greenwich.

Since joining the firm in in 2011, Fidler has been a member of the energy infrastructure teams for Renovalia Reserve, PetroFirst Infrastructure Ltd., and La Bufa Wind. Fidler has also led the firm's process for managing currency and other hedging programs across its energy infrastructure funds. He holds a bachelor's degree from the University of British Colombia, and is a CFA Charterholder. He is based in London.

The firm has promoted three in the private equity funds team.

Peter Petrov has been promoted to director. He joined First Reserve in 2007 as an associate and returned as a vice president in 2012 after earning his MBA degree. He has contributed to First Reserve's efforts in the Equipment and Services sector, as well as in the resources sector, and worked on portfolio investments Ansaldo, Abengoa, and Glencore. He holds a BBA from Texas Christian University and an MBA degree from London Business School. He is based in London.

Michael Scardigli has been promoted to director. He joined First Reserve in 2008 as an associate and returned as a vice president in 2012 after earning his MBA degree. Scardigli has contributed to First Reserve's efforts in the equipment and services sector, and worked on portfolio investments Dresser, Acteon, Dixie Electric, and Diamond S Shipping. He holds a BA degree from Georgetown University and an MBA degree from the Wharton School of Business. He is based in Greenwich.

Juan Diego Vargas has been promoted to director. He joined First Reserve in 2007 as an associate and returned as a vice president in 2012 after earning his MBA degree. Vargas has contributed to First Reserve's efforts in the equipment and services sector, as well as the resources sector, and has worked on portfolio investments CHC Helicopter, PrimeLine Utility Services, and Barra Energia. Vargas holds a BBA degree from the University of Notre Dame and an MBA degree from London Business School. He is based in Houston.