People in industry

McMoRan Exploration (MMR) created an office of the chairman, headed by co-chairmen James R. Moffett, focusing on exploration and operational activities, and Richard C. Adkerson, responsible for financial and administration activities. Other members of the office of the chairman are Vice Chairman B. M. Rankin, Jr., and C. Howard Murrish, who became vice chairman-exploration. Both will be executive VPs of MMR and members of the board of directors. MMR also named Michael C. Fauquier exploration senior VP and Roger B. Knight senior VP of production and development.

Baker Hughes Inc. appointed Derek Walden president of its EIMCO division.

Neil Stevenson became VP of KCA Drilling Inc., the American division of the UK offshore drilling contractor. John Nichols joined as project development manager.

Hoerbiger Corp. of America, Inc., North American division, named Alan Krawczak service VP for the U.S. and Canada.

Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., Ltd., of Ulsan, Korea, appointed Steven Hill as the new VP in Houston, Texas, primarily responsible for development of EPIC and FPSO projects offshore and onshore, along with thermal power development downstream.

David Hermance joined Scott Specialty Gases’ marketing department, based at its headquarters in Plumsteadville, Pennsylvania.

Albert-Garaudy & Associates, Inc., named Lloyd Arbo, Jr., general manager, New Orleans, Louisiana, operations.

Rider Griswold was named president, and Per Petersen became VP of BBC Chartering and Logistic GmbH & Co.’s newly opened Houston, Texas-based company, BBC (USA).

Charles Kalin was named director, industrial sales, for the low-voltage motors and drives business of ABB Automation Technology Products Division.

James M. Adams joined TH Hill Associates, Inc., as marketing VP, responsible for directing the strategic planning and implementation of all marketing communication efforts for the company and its subsidiary, Prentice Hill, LLC.

Amid accusations of Gazprom assets being funneled to family members of Gazprom officials, Russian President Vladimir Putin personally named Alexei Miller, formerly deputy energy minister, to CEO of Gazprom. While the state owns 38% of Gazprom, the company accounts for 25% of the state’s budget revenue. For more details about this appointment, see "Oil and gas in the Capitals" on page 35.

J. Clifford Baxter resigned from Enron Corp. He will continue to work for the company as a consultant.

Isaac Arnold replaces Doug Foshee as chairman of the board on an interim basis for Nuevo Energy.

Paul R. Kuhn was elected chairman of Kaman Corp., succeeding the founder, Charles H. Kaman.

Barbara L. Thompson joined Paragon Engineering Services, Inc. as director of business development.

CMS Energy Corp. named David Mengebier senior VP of governmental and public affairs. He is replacing the retiring John W. Clark, who held the position for 16 years.

Allan C. Smith joined Computational Geology as senior geologist and Houston representative.

Anadarko Petroleum Corp. appointed Mike Bridges to the newly created position of chief engineer in the engineering and technology group. John Applegath will replace Bridges as division operations manager of Anadarko’s Permian division.

Peter Nation joined Noble Denton’s Singapore office.

CEO and President Lanie Outlaw elected to postpone his retirement from Western Gas Resources, Inc., until November 30, 2001.

Swift Energy re-elected Terry Swift president, a position he has held since 1997 and, in addition, elected him CEO.

Doug Foshee resigned from Nuevo Energy.

Greka Energy Corp. appointed William C. Kelleher international exploration and production VP.

John Nikkel was elected CEO of Unit Corp., replacing the retiring King Kirchner, who will remain chairman of the board.

Waukesha Engine appointed Walter Loeppky and Mark Foster to compression engine sales managers in Calgary, Canada, and Corpus Christi, Texas, respectively.

To support the new cementing agreement between BJ Services and Shell International Exploration, BJ Services named Simon Austin Shell global account manager, a newly created position.

Input/Output, Inc., appointed Larry Denver as reservoir operations VP.

Baker Hughes Inc. named Wil Faubel president of Centrilift, its electric submersible pump business, replacing the retiring Joe Brady.

Deaths

Bill Ellison, manufacturing superintendent for Tidril, passed away on April 6, 2001. He was instrumental in the design and fabrication of the first River Crossing rig built in 1972. He managed the project to build the world’s largest HDD drilling rig with 80,000 ft-lb of rotary torque and over 2,000,000 lb of push/pull force. As manufacturing superintendent, he supervised the construction and delivery of Tidril’s new generation HDD equipment spreads recently delivered to Russia.