People in the industry
Ashtead Technology has appointed James Christie as regional director, Asia-Pacific. Based in Singapore, Christie reportedly will spearhead the company’s plans for further growth and development in the region. He brings 20 years of subsea industry experience to his new role, following a career in both offshore and shore-based ROV and life-of-field operations. His appointment coincides with Ashtead’s six-figure sum investment aimed at doubling the size of its Singapore facility. Prior to his appointment, Christie worked with i-Tech 7, Subsea 7’s life-of-field business unit.
Talos Energy has named Shane Young as executive V.P. and CFO. He served previously in this position between December 2014 and September 2015. Since then, Young has held leadership positions with Sheridan Production Company and Cobalt International Energy. He also served previously as a managing director at Goldman, Sachs & Co. and was an investment banker at Morgan Stanley. In conjunction, Talos has promoted Sergio Maiworm, Jr., to V.P. of finance, investor relations and treasurer of the company. Maiworm also is a former investment banker, having advised clients in the E&P sector at Deutsche Bank. Prior to that, he led the global M&A group at Royal Dutch Shell. Additionally, he served as director of finance at ION Geophysical Corp. and spent more than eight years at Transocean. Maiworm started his career in the audit practice of Deloitte & Touche.
Diego Baraldi has joined C-Kore Systems as sales manager, South America. With more than 15 years of offshore oil and gas experience, Baraldi will work to support the South American market through provision of the company’s subsea testing tools. Previously, Baraldi worked for Fugro in Brazil, starting as the service line manager, then moving to business development manager. Prior to that, he was a business development manager at Lupatech. He began his career with Halliburton as a field engineer.
Theo Priestley has been appointed chief marketing officer at WFS Technologies. Priestley focuses on emerging trends and their impact on business and wider society. Having written more than 100 articles for a number of notable publications, and provided commentary for television and radio shows, Priestley is recognized as a thought leader on emerging technologies. He served previously as V.P. at global software companies SAP and Software AG. He also was a mentor for several startup accelerators, including HTC Vive X.
Corrosion Resistant Alloys LP (CRA) has named a new V.P. of commercial. Based in Houston, Tommy Najar will lead the company’s commercial, marketing, accounting, human resources and digital optimization teams, while also serving as a member of the corporate leadership team. According to CRA, Najar brings a wealth of engineering and industry knowledge to his new role.
Maersk Supply Service has named Henriette Thygesen as its new chairman of the board. She has been CEO of Svitzer since September 2016. She is a member of the AP Moller-Maersk executive leadership team and has held leading roles across a number of AP Moller-Maersk businesses over the last 25 years, including CEO of Damco Americas. Additionally, Thygesen serves as chairman of Damco Forwarding, and is a member of the COWI board of directors. Congruently, the company’s current chairman and Vice CEO of AP Moller-Maersk, Claus V. Hemmingsen, reportedly will leave at the end of June.
Lynn Granger has been named executive director of the Colorado Petroleum Council, a division of API. She joins the association from Colorado Concern, a business advocacy association, where she served as COO, leading all operational and strategic execution. Prior to that, she was communications director for the Colorado Department of Revenue. Granger began her career as a soldier in the U.S. Army, before launching into civilian communications, which included service as a strategic communications advisor to the commander of the U.S. Army Europe in Wiesbaden, Germany. In her new role as executive director, Granger will lead API’s efforts in Colorado, helping the oil and gas industry create jobs and generate more revenue for the state, as well as aiding in America’s goal to become less reliant on foreign energy.
MicroSeismic has named Dr. Alasdair Brown as V.P. of engineering. With more than 30 years of industry experience, working for both operators and service companies, Brown will lead the company’s engineering and program management activities. This reportedly includes technical quality and innovation of engineering services. Brown previously served as V.P. of ecosystems and alliances with Bluware, a seismic cloud solution software company. Prior to that, he was V.P. of business development at Enterprise Technology for BHGE. During his career, Brown also has held positions with Halliburton, Edinburgh Petroleum Services, Petrocorp, Intera ECL Petroleum Technologies and Shell International.
The African Energy Chamber has appointed Sergio Pugliese as president for Angola. Pugliese reportedly will lead the chamber’s activities in Angola and support its partners in unlocking value in the country’s multi-billion-dollar oil and gas market. He also will support the government of President João Lourenço in its push to restructure and strengthen the country’s oil and gas sector. Previously, he held positions with international oil companies, including BP and Equinor. He also founded and is the executive chairman of Angola-focused oil and gas services companies Motiva LDA and Amipa LDA, as well as African investment company AIDAC. The African Energy Chamber said that Pugliese’s credentials, experience and knowledge of the oil and gas industry make him the ideal addition.
Greg Guidry has been selected to join Danos’ board of directors. After retiring from his position as executive V.P. of unconventionals at Royal Dutch Shell in October, Guidry will bring extensive experience in unconventional markets to his new role. He also previously headed Shell’s upstream businesses across Europe, based in The Netherlands. He held his previous role for six years, and spent nearly 37 years with Shell, overall.
Ryder Scott Petroleum Consultants has appointed a new CEO and chairman, as well as a new president. Dean C. Rietz will now serve as the firm’s CEO. As a seventh top executive in the firm’s 82-year history, Rietz began serving as executive V.P. in 2012, and as president in 2015. He replaces Don Roesle, who has retired after 14 years as CEO. Likewise, the board has announced that Guale Ramirez was elected president. Ramirez formerly served as the firm’s executive V.P. Additionally, Managing Senior V.P.s Mike Palke and Tosin Famurewa have been elected to the board, while Board Members Larry Connor and Herman Acuna have been promoted to executive V.P.s.
David Cockburn has been appointed business unit manager for Malin Workboats, a newly launched division of Malin Marine Ltd. He has extensive industry experience with marine equipment and engine suppliers, including Cummins Engine Company, where he served as a senior executive. Additionally, he headed Cummins’ EMEA commercial marine business unit.
