People in the industry

Matt Kirk has joined Wood Group Kenny as V.P. of operations, where he will guide the regional leadership team in the Americas. With 17 years of industry experience, Kirk most recently served as managing director at Xodus Subsea. As a chartered subsea engineer with the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology, Kirk will broaden the company’s client base, while continuing to support existing clients and deliver operational efficiency. Additionally, Wood Group Mustang has appointed Kent McAllister to president of the offshore business unit. With nearly 30 years of engineering experience, McAllister’s responsibilities have extended over all phases of project execution within the offshore industry, from conceptual through detail engineering and design, to commissioning and post-start-up operations. His executive leadership experience includes V.P. roles at Jacobs, Wood Group Mustang, and Alliance Wood Group Engineering.

International exploration and production company, Energean Oil & Gas, has appointed Dr. Medhat Tarakhan as country general manager in Egypt. He is a reservoir characterization specialist and an AAPG-certified professional petroleum geologist, who has spent more than 30 years in exploration and oilfield development, as well as in oilfield techno-commercial studies and regional business development. Tarakhan has worked with companies including BP, Repsol, Schlumberger, Halliburton, Madison PetroGas, Kuwait Energy and Rayton.

The board of directors of the Texas Alliance of Energy Producers has elected Robert W. Osborne to vice chairman, which is the second-highest elected position within the association. Osborne, who has more than 40 years of industry experience, serves as V.P. of Cobra Oil & Gas Corp. He owns 50% of the company, as well. He will become chairman of the board officially at the association’s annual meeting in April 2016. Osborne has served previously on the Alliance board of directors, as well as V.P. of the North Texas Oil and Gas Association.

Plexus Holdings plc has named Lawrence P. Rucinski as president, North America, through his consultancy company for an initial 12-month period. He will provide added value to the company’s strategic planning, specifically in North America and Asia. Rucinski has more than 30 years of experience in the subsea oil and gas sector, and will offer engineering procurement and construction systems solutions expertise, business leadership and longstanding global relationships with oil and gas companies.

After more than 38 years of service, Ken Cohen, V.P. of public and government affairs for Exxon Mobil Corp., will retire, effective Jan. 1. Cohen joined Exxon USA in June 1977, and has performed a variety of roles within the company, until appointed to his most recent position in 1999.

At its 86th annual meeting, the IPAA board of directors elected Mark Miller as the 41st chairman of the board, and Stephen Jones as vice chairman for the 2015–2017 term. Miller is president of Merlin Oil & Gas, Inc., and has provided expert testimony in federal, state and municipal court proceedings pertaining to petroleum land management and lease exploration. He served as the IPAA 2013–2015 vice chairman, and also serves on the board of the Louisiana Oil and Gas Association, and the foundation board at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Jones is also involved in various oil and gas organizations, including the Texas Oil and Gas Association and the Houston Producers’ Forum. He has served as co-chairman of EnerVest since May 2015.

WPX Energy has promoted Clay M. Gaspar to senior V.P. and COO, effective Nov. 2. Gaspar joined the company in 2014 as senior V.P. of operations and resource development. According to WPX, it was under Gaspar’s leadership that development costs and operating expenses were reduced significantly. He has led the company’s operations through various transitions, including divestitures, WPX’s acquisition in the Permian basin, an office consolidation, and the recruitment of additional technical talent. Gaspar previously held positions with Newfield Exploration, Anadarko Petroleum and Mewbourne Oil, in a number of technical and leadership roles. He is a member of SPE.

Nicholas P. Boyaci has been appointed business development manager of Borets. Based in Tulsa, Okla., Boyaci will work directly with clients, as well as alongside members of the sales, engineering and marketing teams to support growth opportunities. With more than 25 years of experience in artificial lift and drilling, he has held new service concepts and commercialized new technology.

Saudi Total, a JV between Zahid Group and Total, has named Hisham Atalla as general manager. He comes to Saudi Total with more than 20 years of industry experience. Atalla joined Total Egypt in 1998, where he held various positions in sales, strategy, operations and senior management. Additionally, he worked at the Total headquarters in Paris, which gave him insight into the company’s global growth objectives, and ultimately led to his role in managing the start-up of a new affiliate of Total Jordan.

David Wilson has been appointed the new business manager for the offshore production division of global marine technology company, Kongsberg Maritime Ltd. Based in Aberdeen, he will focus on the company’s integrated control and safety systems. With more than 27 years of marine engineering experience, Wilson has held key positions within the company’s technical sales and business development, covering offshore support, offshore survey and construction, merchant shipping, marine research and naval markets.

Donna Garbutt has been appointed CEO of Maxxam Analytics, a supplier of laboratory services to Canada’s oil and gas industry. She is assuming the role of Jon Hantho. With more than 25 years of industry experience, Garbutt most recently held a number of executive management positions at Schlumberger, including president of Schlumberger Canada.

Anadarko Petroleum Corporation has named Mitchell W. Ingram to the newly created position of executive V.P., Global LNG, effective immediately. According to the company’s board and executive committee, the position was created to expand company ranks and manage its growing global LNG position over the next decade. With 28 years of industry experience, Ingram will be responsible for managing the company’s business platform. Previously, he held positions with the company’s LNG project in Queensland, Australia, where he served as managing director.

EMC has appointed several executives to its global leadership team. Bill Madden has joined the company as senior V.P. of product development. With more than 25 years of software engineering experience, Madden most recently served as executive V.P. of engineering for Myxer, Inc. Tom Severson has been named CFO of EMC. He brings more than 20 years of business operations experience to his new role. Additionally, John Finney has joined the company as chief commercial officer.