TGS appoints chief financial officer to new role
TGS has appointed its chief financial officer to a newly created role. Kristian Johansen will take on the newly created role of chief operating officer from February 1.
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Cluff makes senior appointment
Cluff Natural Resources has appointed a new chief operating officer. Andrew Nunn joined the firm in May 2014 as senior project manager and his new position will take effect immediately.
Falcon Oil and Gas welcomes new board member
Falcon Oil and Gas has elected a new member to its board. Maxim Mayorets was appointed to the company's board of directors as a non-executive director at the annual general and special meeting of shareholders in Ireland. Mr Mayorets is currently a member of the executive board and head of mergers and acquisitions at Renova.
Sullom Voe faces worker strike ballot
Construction workers upgrading the BP-run oil terminal at Sullom Voe in Shetland are to be balloted on industrial action over pay and conditions. Around 500 staff are seeking improvements to their terms and conditions to mirror those afforded their counterparts working on Total’s new gas plant next door. Concessions being sought include travel payments, compensation for getting stuck at the airport, harmonisation of terms and conditions for local workers, and a renegotiation of shift patterns.
Energy North chief executive to stand down
Energy North's chief executive is to stand down. Ian Couper, who has held the position for eight years, plans to leave in May 2015. Mr Couper's role at the energy trade body saw him turn the firm from a 30-member to 220 member group.
Gallery: Offshore life in years gone by
Wood Group CEO honoured
Wood Group's boss was inducted into the Entrepreneurial Scotland Hall of Fame at a ceremony in Glasgow last night. Bob Keiller, the Aberdeen-based energy service company's chief executive, follows in the footstep of illustrious names like Sir Moir Lockhead, Donald Macdonald and Sir Ian Wood who have all received the accolade. Established in 2002 to recognise exceptional leadership, the Entrepreneurial Scotland Hall of Fame recognises successful entrepreneurs who have made a major contribution to Scottish business life.
Woodside’s Rob Cole to join Beach Energy as MD
An executive director from Woodside Petroleum is set to take up a new role with Beach Energy as its managing director. Rob Colestepped down from his current role as both a director and as executive vice president of corporate and commercial with Woodside following the announcement.
Spyglass Resources director steps down
Canada-based oil and gas company Spyglass Resources said one of its independent directors has stepped down from its board. Michael Rapp, chief executive of Clarke Inc, tendered his resignation with the company yesterday.
Ineos poised for new chapter in the North Sea
The North Sea energy industry will soon have a newcomer in its ranks after Swiss chemical giant Ineos confirmed plans for an upstream oil and gas business. Ineos, which owns the huge petrochemicals complex and oil refinery at Grangemouth, has not yet announced the move. But its website is advertising a string of management posts, including a chief executive and operations director, for the new division. The CEO has a remit for "leading a strategic review to support the Ineos entry into North Sea production, culminating in investment recommendations to the main Ineos board".
Maxoil appoints senior adviser
Global oil and gas consultancy Maxoil Solutions has made a new appointment to its team of specialists. Simon Schapira is a chemistry consultant and technical authority on corrosion with 25 years’ experience in upstream and midstream oil and gas operations.
Noreco makes changes to its senior team
Noreco has appointed to new members to its senior staff team including a new chief executive following the departure of Svein Arild Killingland. The independent Norwegian oil and gas company said Tommy Sundt, who had previously been its cheif financial officer, will now take the head role. In a statement the company said: “The Board has high expectations of working together with Sundt on finding solutions to the challenging position in which the Company finds itself and to realise the opportunities inherent in its business.
PwC makes senior appointment
An industry 'role model' has been appointed to head a team at PwC. PwC has appointed natural resources industry advisor Alison baker to lead its UK oil and gas sector team.
Former Clinton ambassador appointed to renewables role
Renewable energy project developer One Plant Africa has appointed a former ambassador during the Clinton administration to its company’s board. Ambassador Charles R Stith is considered to be one of America’s leading experts on development issues in Sub-Saharan Africa. The company is a subsidiary of One Planet Infrastructure, a US-based developer which specialises in renewable energy and infrastructure projects in developing countries.
Another lifetime achievement gong for Sir Ian Wood
Sir Ian Wood has added to his growing collection of lifetime achievement honours by winning the top gong at the Oil Council's 2014 Awards of Excellence in London.
Conservation groups call for ban on exploration at heritage sites
Leading conservation organisations are calling for a ban on mining and exploration for oil and gas in World Heritage Sites. The organisations, including the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), the RSPB and WWF, warn that growing pressure for resources means that a quarter of natural World Heritage Sites are under threat from commercial mining and extraction. World Heritage Sites such as Virunga National Park, home of the critically endangered mountain gorilla in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Virgin Komi forests in Russia and the Belize Barrier Reef System are all under threat from exploitation, the groups said.
NPD makes management changes
The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) has made changes to its management group. It means the NPD will have more managers and will also move from two to three management levels. Four directors report to the director general Bente Nyland, while 12 assistant directors make up the NPD’s operative management.
Man killed and two injured in freak Colorado fracking accident
One worker has been killed and two seriously injured in a fracking accident at an oil or gas well site in northern Colorado. Three men were trying to heat a frozen high-pressure water line when something went wrong and the line ruptured.
Fosun president appointed chairman of Roc Oil board
The chairman of Roc Oil has resigned from its board, the company has announced. Mike Harding will be replaced by Bin Zhao, the president of Fosun Energy. It follows a number of changes to the board after a $441million takeover of Roc Oil by Fosun.
Skills week throws spotlight on women in oil and gas
The under-representation of women and the role of apprentices in the UK energy industry were in the spotlight on the second day of National Oil and Gas Skills Week. Women bosses and a senior policewoman were among the speakers at an event at Aberdeen Art Gallery last night.
Circle Oil chief exec to step down
The chief executive of Circle Oil is to step down from his position with the Irish explorer. Professor Chris Green, who has been with company for more than eight years, will also step down from the board.
OGA chief likely to become UK’s best-paid public servant
The chief executive of the new Oil and Gas Authority (OGA), Andy Samuel, is poised to become UK’s best-paid public sector boss. Mr Samuel, BG Group's managing director for exploration and production in Europe, was unveiled as the OGA's boss on Friday as the new regulator for the UK's North Sea oil and gas industry gets up and running. He has been hired on a three-year contract on an annual salary of £280,000, plus a bonus of up to £50,000 a year, it was reported yesterday.
Four things you need to know about the new OGA chief executive
1. Andy Samuel was one of the first off the blocks to welcome the Wood Review. The new chief executive of the Oil and Gas Authority wrote a first person piece for Energy Voice in the wake of the announcement. In the piece, which he wrote just two days after the Wood Review was published, he said: “In recent months, however, more and more of my peers have remarked that it has become a difficult and costly place to do business. As the Industry Activity Survey points out today, there are some serious underlying challenges to fix, and quickly. The global competition for capital and skills demands speedy action.” Read the full piece here. 2. Andy’s role with BG saw him head the firm’s North Sea business where he was responsible for 15% of the company’s overall global production and 800 employees. BG has stakes in both the Jasmine and Buzzard fields. In August 2008, he was named deputy asset manager for BG Group. He stayed in the role for a little more than two years before being named president and general manager of EXCO Resources. In July 2012, he was named BG’s managing director for Offshore Europe. In September last year he was appointed to Oil & Gas UK’s board of directors. 3. He has pushed the government hard for tax breaks relating to high-pressure, high-temperature fields. Developments in the Central North Sea, which can have reservoirs with temperatures up to 500C and with “extreme” high pressure, are known as ultra-high pressure, high temperature (uHPHT) fields. UK-based BG is currently developing the £3billion Jackdaw field. In June, Andy met with representative from the Depart of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) regarding tax changes. At the time he said there was still “work to do to ensure investment conditions are met for the variety of companies looking to invest”. This included extending the tax relief to 75% to bring it in line with onshore gas, and extending the ring fenced expenditure supplement from six years to 10 years. 4. He’s a geologist by background. He obtained his BA degree from the University of Cambridge before completing his PhD at the University of London. His career has seen him work on assets in the UK, Trinidad and Brazil. He also fulfilled a three year posting in Cairo as an exploration geologist where he honed his interest in deep-marine processes.
IOG chairman steps down
Independent Oil and Gas (IOG) has made changes to its board of directors. Mehdi Varzi will retire from the North Sea focused company as chairman and director.
ITB appoints new assessor to its team
Aberdeen-based training and consultancy firm ITB Competence Assurance has appointed a new assessor. Michael Morrison will join the competency specialists with more than 20 years’ experience in the offshore oil and gas industry. The Aberdeen-based organisation is one of a select band of OPITO approved competency and training specialists working with oil and gas clients worldwide.