People in the industry

Apache Corp. has named David Pursell as senior V.P. of planning and energy fundamentals. He will manage planning and energy fundamentals, processes and analysis. Most recently, Pursell was managing director of investment banking at Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. Prior to that, he served as head of macro research and was a founder of Pickering Energy Partners, Inc. In addition, Pursell served previously as upstream research director at Simmons & Company International. In the early years of his career, he served companies including ARCO Alaska and S.A. Holditch and Associates, now part of Schlumberger.

With a new base in Stavanger, Norway, Aquaterra Energy has appointed a new business development director. With more than 22 years of industry experience, Christian Berven will work to advance the company’s plans for further growth. He joined Aquaterra after serving ten years as managing director at Toolserv. Additionally, Berven has held previous positions with Cameron and Interwell.

Steelhead LNG has appointed R.L. (Randy) Jespersen to become executive chairman of the company’s pipeline division. He also will join the company’s leadership team and its board of directors. His career began with Dome Petroleum, followed by Amoco. In 1996, he joined Terasen Inc. (now FortisBC), where he held various senior roles. Jespersen assumed the role of president and CEO of Terasen Gas in 2002, until his retirement in 2010.

David Decuir has been promoted to technical solutions manager at Danos, where he will continue to work with a team of production specialists to develop workshops and presentations specific to customer needs. Additionally, he will conduct hands-on skill assessments among employees. Since first joining the company in 2016, Decuir has held a variety of leadership roles, including production manager, production operator and production superintendent.

Lou Dennis has joined SeaRobotics Corp. as director of programs. Dennis will support the company’s growing autonomous technologies and integrated oceanographic system offerings. He worked previously for Subsea 7’s engineering group. He later served as V.P. of programs at Slingsby Systems. Following that role, he served as business development manager for Lockheed Martin’s AUV program. Most recently, however, he was general manager of the Southeast region at MacArtney, Inc.

Restrata, a company focused on security, safety and emergency response solutions, has appointed a new head of consultancy to lead the organization’s growth and international expansion. Neil Purcell joined the company’s team in January, bringing experience in  electronic, physical and integrated security systems design fields, accumulated from more than 20 years of experience. Purcell will head the delivery of consultancy projects to an array of clients in the MENA region and beyond.

Andrew Imrie has joined M² Subsea’s senior management team as global sales and marketing director, where he reportedly will work to expand the company’s international offering from hubs in Aberdeen and Houston. He brings 20 years of industry experience to his new role. Most recently, Imrie served as commercial director at Ampelmann. Prior to that, he held a variety of senior leadership positions at Proserv, Amec, GE Oil & Gas and NOV.

Tom Whalen has been named interim president and CEO of the Petroleum Services Association of Canada (PSAC). According to a release, Whalen will lead the association for one year or until a new president is recruited. He served previously on the PSAC board of directors, from 2014 to 2016. From 2013 to 2016, he was president and managing director at Baker Hughes Canada. Prior to his appointment to president, Whalen served as V.P. of the Canadian Pressure Pumping product line.

Richard Price has been named general manager for offshore & marine within the power services division of Harris Pye, a Joulon company. As a chartered engineer and marine engineer, Price brings extensive oil and gas industry knowledge and experience to his new position. He reportedly will combine this experience with the company’s total solution capabilities, including a variety of equipment and services—such as HRSGs, control systems and shipyard installation works.

Tony Laing has been named the new director of research and market acceleration for the National Subsea Research Initiative (NSRI). With more than 35 years of experience, Laing will work to ensure that the UK’s subsea technology needs are met. He will be based at Subsea UK in Westhill, Aberdeen. Previously, Laing served as an independent oil and gas consultant. Prior to that, he was global director of integrated solutions at Schlumberger and OneSubsea. Additionally, he has held previous positions at Marathon, Boreas and Aker.

Marathon Oil Corp. has elected Douglas L. Foshee and M. Elise “Lisa” Hyland to its board of directors. Foshee is the founder and owner of Sallyport Investment. Previously, he served as chairman, president and CEO of El Paso Corp. Prior to that, he held a number of positions at Halliburton, including executive V.P., COO and CFO. Hyland is recently retired, but served previously as senior V.P. of EQT Corp. and senior V.P. and COO at EQT Midstream Services, LLC.

Stephen Sheppard has been appointed to the governing board of the international Marine Contractors Association (IMCA). As a diving manager at Helix Well Ops Ltd., Sheppard brings extensive knowledge and expertise related to diving operations to his new role. He is the chairman of IMCA’s operations committee and diving division management committee, as well as an industry representative on its diving medical advisory committee.

Add Energy has appointed Dr. Damon Bowler as manager of projects. With more than 25 years of asset management experience, Bowler brings an array of technical, business and management skills to his new role. In addition to Bowler’s appointment, the company has named Marc Tichelaar as operations manager. He has 20 years of upstream oil and gas experience, which include maintenance and reliability consultancy work for operators and drilling contractors in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Both Bowler and Tichelaar will be basedin Aberdeen.

TRC Companies, Inc., has appointed Dany Jew as V.P. of business development for its oil and gas market sector. With 30 years of industry experience, Jew has an extensive background involving commercial and strategic planning in not only the oil and gas industry, but also the chemical and distribution sectors. Prior to joining the company, he held a position at Wood Group Mustang.

Crondall Energy Consultants has appointed John Wishart to its board as non-executive chairman. Previously, he spent 11 years at Genesis. After holding positions with several other companies, including Aker Maritime, Coflexip and Technip, Wishart joined Noble Denton as group managing director. He later joined Lloyds Register, where he led the acquisition of Senergy. Today, however, Wishart is COO at Foresight Group International.