People in the Industry
Maersk Oil has made several key appointments, in relation to its future business under Total. Martin Rune Pedersen, COO, will become V.P. of Total’s operations in Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands. Troels Albrechtsen, CTO, will be named V.P. for the technical center that is to be established in Copenhagen, Denmark. Accordingly, Maersk Oil CEO Gretchen Watkins has decided to resign from her duties, following closure of the deal.
Westwood Global Energy Group has expanded its consulting team with the appointment of Ian McDonald as manager in its Aberdeen office. He previously worked for RSM, Campbell Dallas and Clydesdale Bank with a focus on the upstream oil and gas sector. Additionally, the firm has appointed Boris Adokou as an associate in its London office. Adokou previously served as a senior field engineer for Schlumberger Oilfield Services. These appointments reportedly are in response to the firm’s recent uptick in market activity levels. Both professionals are expected to bring a wealth of knowledge and relevant expertise to the new roles.
Suretank Latin America has appointed Paulo Fernandes Gurgel as senior consultant, where he will oversee the company’s operational cost-savings program, Suresave. The program provides support and advice to customers, in an effort to help improve overall efficiency of their operations. Gurgel has a substantial amount of industry experience, much of which was attained during his 11 years at Petrobras. There, he managed over 90% of the chemical market for offshore oil production in Brazil. He also held various senior management roles throughout his career.
The National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) has elected four new members to its board of directors. Those appointed include Jennifer Medcalf, V.P. of business development, The REACH Group; David De Roode, partner, Lockton Partners, LLC, and senior V.P. at Lockton Global; L. Allen Sanders, V.P. of Gulf of Mexico operations, Anadarko Petroleum; and Martin Stauble, V.P. of exploration, North America and Brazil, Shell Energy Resources Co. The appointments were announced during NOIA’s fall meeting, where the association celebrated its 45th anniversary.
Alex Mills, president of the Texas Alliance of Energy Producers, has announced his retirement. During the 1980s, Mills served as executive V.P. of the West Central Texas Oil & Gas Association. He later became V.P. of the Independent Petroleum Association of America in Washington, D.C. Prior to the merger of the North Texas Oil & Gas Association (NTOGA) with the West Central Texas Oil & Gas Association in 2000, which formed the Texas Alliance, Mills was executive V.P. of NTOGA. Additionally, he was managing editor of The American Oil & Gas Reporter. He has served as president of the Texas Alliance since 2000.
Chevron’s board of directors has elected Michael K. Wirth as CEO and chairman of the board. He will succeed John S. Watson, who is set to retire after 37 years of service. The appointment reportedly is effective Feb. 1, 2018. Wirth joined the company as a design engineer in 1982. Since then, he has held various roles in engineering, construction and operations. He most recently served as vice chairman and executive V.P. of midstream and development.
Petrofac has appointed John Pearson as chief corporate development officer and group managing director, Western Hemisphere. He joins the company from Amec Foster Wheeler, where he held a number of leadership roles over the course of 28 years. In his new position, Pearson will assist in further strengthening strategic relationships with international and independent oil company clients. Additionally, he will manage growth of the company’s reimbursable business, engineering and production services in the Western Hemisphere.
Paulo Ruiz Sternadt has been named CEO of Dresser-Rand, part of Siemens Power and Gas Division. He succeeds Judith Marks. Sternadt brings extensive industry experience to his new role, including more than 16 years with Siemens. During that time, he held leadership positions in the U.S., Germany, Mexico and Brazil. Most recently, however, he served as executive V.P. of global solutions for the Dresser-Rand business.
Tien Do has been hired as group operations director at PJ Valves. Based in the UK, Do will lead project delivery and oversee operations at the company’s global manufacturing facilities. He brings nearly 20 years of experience in operational management, project execution and global manufacturing to his new position. Previously, he served as director of projects and tenders at NOV. Additionally, he was operations director at Fjords Processing from 2007 to 2016. During that time, Do reportedly played a key role in the delivery of the Catcher FPSO project.
Sparrows Group has named Matt Corbin as its regional operations director for the UK and Europe. He will manage all UK and European business operations for the company. With more than 20 years of industry experience, Corbin has held a number of leadership positions throughout his career, including UK managing director for the subsea division of Aker Solutions and UK regional general manager for GE Oil & Gas. Most recently, however, he served as supply chain consultant to the UK Oil and Gas Authority. Additionally, he contributed to Oil & Gas UK’s Efficiency Task Force.
Chuck Reddy has been hired at Stucchi, Inc., as the Northeast Territory sales manager. Based in Pittsburg, Pa., Reddy will manage regional sales. He brings extensive knowledge of hydraulics, pneumatics and electro-hydraulics to his new position. Prior to his appointment, Reddy served as a field service manager at FlorDraulic.
Wintershall Norge has named Hugo Dijkgraaf as the new managing director of its Norwegian subsidiary. He has been with the company since 2000. Most recently, he served as V.P. and project director of the Maria development offshore Norway. He has held various positions within the industry for the past
17 years, including a number of technical and managerial positions. He has experience in a number of disciplines, including subsurface, strategic planning, development and operations. Dijkgraaf succeeds Bernd Schrimpf, who will retire after managing the company since 2010.
Gary Smart has been named CEO at Well-Centric, part of FrontRow Energy Technology Group. Smart brings 30 years of industry experience to his new role, as well as a deep understanding of technology development, commercialization and global market expansion. He has held a number of management positions over the course of his career, including six years as CEO at Tendeka.
The Kentucky Oil and Gas Association (KOGA) has appointed Ryan Watts as executive director. He reportedly joins the association after nearly 14 years working for the Kentucky state government, where he held various communication roles. Watts said, “I look forward to preserving the industry’s storied history by expanding KOGA’s public outreach through effective communications and advocacy efforts.”
