People in the industry

Continental Resources has appointed Jack Stark as President and COO, replacing  W.F. “Rick” Bott, who resigned to pursue other opportunities. Stark joined Continental in 1992 and has served as the firm’s senior V.P. of exploration since 1998. He is a member of AAPG, Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association, Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists, Houston Geological Society and Oklahoma Geological Society.  Mr. Stark holds an MS degree in geology from Colorado State University.

SandRidge Energy, Inc has promoted Craig A. Johnson to executive V.P. of operations, replacing David C. Lawler, who served as COO and executive V.P. Johnson was previously senior V.P of development for Oklahoma. Sandridge has initiated a search for a new COO.

Chesapeake Energy has appointed Brad Sylvester as V.P. of Investor Relations and Communications. Sylvester joined the company in August from Southwestern Energy, where he worked from 1996 to 2014 in various roles, including V.P. of Investor Relations.

Martin (Marty) Paulk has been appointed senior V.P. for sales and marketing for Integrated Drilling Equipment. Prior to his appointment, Paulk was a senior director of technical solutions at Key Energy. He also has worked for Halliburton and Baker Hughes. Paulk holds a petroleum engineering degree from The University of Texas.

Claxton Engineering Services, an Acteon company, has appointed Martin Jolley as V.P., sales and commercial, to spearhead its global sales and commercial strategy. Jolley will be based in Claxton’s UK head office, overseeing commercial development aimed at expanding the business worldwide. He  has a master’s degree in industrial economics and a degree in engineering science. 

Patricia Vega is the new president and CEO of GE Oil & Gas for Latin America. She will be responsible for maintaining the company’s position in the oil and gas market, and contributing to the development of customized solutions that meet the specific demands of customers and partners in the region. Vega has 20 years of industry experience, including technical, operational and leadership positions in the U.S., Mexico, Colombia and Brazil. Based in Rio de Janeiro, she will lead the 5,400 employees of GE Oil & Gas in Latin America and develop regional capabilities.

Integrated Drilling Equipment Holdings Corp. has appointed Jim Terry as CEO. Terry replaces former CEO Stephen Cope, who resigned in April 2014. Effective with his CEO appointment, he will also become a member of IDE’s board of directors. Prior to his appointment, Terry was the CEO and president of Particle Drilling Technologies, a drilling bits and surface equipment manufacturer. He resides in Houston.

Paul Hopkins has been appointed principal engineer by 2H Offshore. His role will be to develop 2H Offshore’s client base in Norway. Hopkins worked for 2H Offshore from 2001 to 2006 on riser projects, including Exxon Mobil’s Kizomba A and B developments, and BP’s Shah Deniz project. Hopkins then worked for two subsea engineering contractors, developing experience in concept selection and detailed design, with a strong focus on risers, subsea pipelines and structures. 

Diamond Offshore Drilling has appointed David L. Roland as senior V.P., general counsel and secretary. Roland brings over 20 years of corporate legal experience in the energy industry, including the last 10 years as senior counsel for ION Geophysical Corporation. He holds a business degree from University of Houston and a law degree from St. Mary’s University.

L. Poe Leggette has joined BakerHostetler’s national energy group as a partner in its Denver office and co-chair of the firm’s energy practice and national shale team. His active litigation and deal work will focus on onshore shale plays, oil and gas companies operating on federal and Indian lands, and companies operating under federal leases in the Gulf of Mexico. Leggette spent more than a decade at the U.S. Department of the Interior, where he served as Assistant Solicitor and advised the Bureau of Land Management and the Minerals Management Service on their onshore and offshore energy programs.

C & C Technologies Inc. announced that Jill Rivette has joined the Geotechnical Division in Houston, as a senior geotechnical engineer.  She is a licensed professional engineer in the State of Texas.

Baker Hughes has appointed Kimberly A. Ross to senior V.P. and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) effective Oct. 22. Ross joined from Avon Products, where she was executive V.P. and CFO. She served as executive V.P. and CFO of Royal Ahold N.V. from 2007 to 2011 and held various other finance positions at Royal Ahold from 2001 to 2007. Ross earned a BA degree in accounting from the University of South Florida and became a certified public accountant after graduation.

Wood Group has appointed Nina Schofield to head of health, safety, security and environment. She has over 20 years of global HSSE experience for international energy service businesses, and has worked in the UK, Azerbaijan, Canada and the U.S.

Bill Kelley has been appointed CEO of Antelope Oil Tool. Kelley previously served as Antelope’s sales and operations V.P. He succeeds George Ribble, who is retiring.

Petrowest Corporation has re-aligned its senior management team. Roy Larson has been appointed COO, Jim Coleman has been named executive chairman, and Jim Moffatt has been appointed executive V.P. for the construction division and sales and marketing.

At its annual Ocean Star Gala last month, the Houston-based Offshore Energy Center inducted five individuals and four pioneering technologies into its Offshore Pioneers Hall of Fame. Among the individuals inducted were Andrè P. Jourdan, who spent his R&D career at Elf Aquitaine (now Total); Peter W. Marshall, who worked at Shell E&P USA and the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England, and is a visiting professor at National University of Singapore; the late George Richardson, who was an innovation leader at The Offshore Company (later Sonat Drilling and now Transocean, Ltd.) for some 35 years; and C. R. (Charlie) Williams II, who, after a 40-year career at Shell, retired in 2012 to become executive director of the Center for Offshore Safety. Also inducted as a “Founding Pioneer” was Erle Palmer Halliburton, founder of Halliburton Company, who developed the technique of oil well cementing. Mr. Halliburton cemented the first offshore well in Creole field, in the Gulf of Mexico. Among the Pioneering Technologies inducted were Marine Riser Analysis, Phase 2 (1973 to 1985); Horizontal Drilling; API RP75 Safety and Environmental Management Programs; and the Humble Submerged Production System.