People in the industry
The International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC) has announced the resignation of Stephen A. Colville as president and CEO. Jason E. McFarland has been named interim president, effective immediately. McFarland has been with the association for 20 years, most recently serving as V.P. since 2008 and chief of staff since 2013.
MPG Pipeline Contractors has named Dan Murphy to quality assurance manager. Based at the company’s Houston office, Murphy will enhance and implement a comprehensive quality assurance program. He brings more than 30 years of industry experience to his new position.
Ecopetrol’s board of directors has elected Felipe Bayon Pardo to executive V.P., effective Feb. 15. With more than 24 years of industry experience, Bayon has served most recently as senior V.P. of BP America, and director of the Deepwater Response Group. Additionally, he was previously BP’s regional president in South America, overseeing a JV with operations in Argentina, Bolivia, Uruguay, Peru, Chile and southern Brazil. The company’s board also elected Claudia Bastidas to corporate internal audit director. For the past six years, Bastidas has served as the company’s manager of internal audit, as well as compliance manager at Carbones del Cerrejón.
Teresa Soanes has been appointed general manager for Australasia, at Swire Oilfield Services. In her new role, Soanes will coordinate company activities in the region, which spans across Perth, Karratha, Darwin, Exmouth and Broome in Australia, as well as New Zealand. Based in Perth, she will drive the company’s expansion into emerging markets in the region. Soanes brings 15 years of experience to her new leadership roles in procurement, logistics, project management, IT and business development.
Marathon Oil Corporation has announced the retirement of Michael J. Stover, V.P. of operations services, effective Nov. 30, 2015. He had oversight responsibility for the company’s project development, reliability and engineering, subsurface technology, global supply chain, land and commercial services, marketing, drilling and completions activities, and corporate reserves. Stover retired following almost 30 years of service.
Hydrocarb Energy Corporation said that Robert M. Harrell has joined the company’s board of directors as the second independent director, effective Nov. 23, 2015. Harrell holds a civil engineering degree from Georgia Institute of Technology, and a business administration degree from Harvard University. He brings extensive offshore leadership and commercial experience to his new role as one of three directors being deemed independent.
Cliff McGuire has been appointed to the newly-created position of principal metallurgist for global testing group Exova. In his new position, McGuire will be responsible for training, quality control and development of best practices. He brings experience across a range of sectors, including energy, aerospace and civil engineering, as well as extensive knowledge of alloys, materials manufacturing and failure mechanisms.
Mike Loggie, CEO of Saltire Energy, has been named EY Scotland Entrepreneur of the Year 2015. The award recognizes individuals who have led their businesses to strong growth in revenue through innovation, teamwork and strong leadership. Since establishing Saltire Energy in 1986, Loggie has expanded the firm into a group of three successful subsidiaries, and has grown the company’s presence in Australia, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and the Far East.
Warren Resources, Inc., has appointed James A. Watt to president and CEO, effective immediately. Interim CEO Lance Peterson has stepped down from that role and will resume serving as a company director. Watt has extensive experience in the oil and gas industry, and most recently served as president, CEO and director at Dune Energy, Inc. Additionally, he will continue his role as chairman of the board at Bonanza Creek Energy, Inc.
Gilles Cochevelou has been named chief digital officer of Total. Cochevelou has held several positions since joining the company in 1994, including operations manager and head of strategic planning in refining and marketing. Most recently, however, he served as group V.P. of learning, education and University.
Colin Shellard has been named managing director at Offshore Installation Services Ltd. (OIS), an Acteon company. Based in Aberdeen, he will play a key role in developing opportunities for the firm to work with other Acteon companies. Shellard joined OIS as V.P. of operations in December 2014. He has more than 16 years of experience in offshore construction and subsea engineering.
National K Works (NKW), Inc., has announced the promotion of several staff members, including: Alec Wolk to executive V.P.; Chris Cavanah to V.P. of operations, where he will oversee manufacturing and engineering; Mike Hoefer to manager of manufacturing; and Brian Cruickshank to manager of product engineering. Additionally, Dan Kusmer has been named director for research and development.
Ensco has appointed Carey Lowe to COO, following the retirement of Mark Burns. Based in London, Lowe has held various executive management positions since he joined the company in 2008. He has experience in operations, engineering, safety and strategy.
Exxon Mobil has promoted Darren Woods to president, which puts him in a position to potentially succeed chairman and CEO Rex Tillerson in 2017. Woods joined the company in 1992 as an analyst, but now oversees the global network of oil refineries and fuel terminals. His promotion decided on Dec. 9.
Neal A. Shear has been appointed as interim president and CEO of Cheniere Energy Partners, L.P., effective immediately. The 30-year industry veteran will also serve as chairman of the boards of Cheniere Energy Partners GP, LLC, the general partner of Cheniere Energy Partners, L.P., and Cheniere Energy Partners LP Holdings, LLC. Additionally, the company’s board has appointed board member G. Andrea Botta as its chairman. These appointments follow the board’s decision to replace Charif Souki, the company’s co-founder, chairman, president and CEO.
Formerly the business line head of upstream, Mohammed Y. Al Qahtani has been appointed senior V.P. of upstream at Saudi Aramco. The company has also appointed Ahmad A. Al Sa’adi to senior V.P. of technical services. He previously served as service line head of technical services. Additionally, Muhammad M. Al Saggaf was appointed as senior V.P of operations and business services. He moves into his new role after serving as the company’s service line head of operations and business services. All appointments were effective Jan. 1.
