On the Move

[Editor's note: A version of this story appears in the August 2020 edition of E&P. Subscribe to the magazine here.]  

PEOPLE

Weatherford has announced that Karl Blanchard, executive vice president and COO, will assume the role of interim CEO until a permanent president and CEO is appointed. Christian Garcia, executive vice president and CFO has decided to leave the company after the filing of the company’s second-quarter financial results on Aug. 5. Additionally, Weatherford’s board of directors has appointed Benjamin C. Duster IV to serve as director.

Petronas has appointed Tengku Muhammad Taufik Tengku Aziz president and group CEO, following the retirement of Tan Sri Wan Zulkiflee Wan Ariffin from the company.

Henrik Poulsen has stepped down as CEO of Ørsted. The board of directors has initiated a process to identify a successor.

Tellurian Inc.’s board of directors has named Charif Souki executive chairman of Tellurian. Souki has been Tellurian’s nonexecutive chairman since founding the company in February 2016.

Equinor ASA has elected Tove Andersen to the company’s board of directors. Additionally, Jon Erik Reinhardsen and Jeroen van der Veen have been reelected as board chair and deputy chair, respectively.

Matthew Allen has stepped down as CEO and managing director of Otto Energy. Still, he will remain with the company as a senior adviser for six months to assist with the transition of a new successor. During the transition period, John Jetter, nonexecutive chairman, will assume the role of executive chairman and Kevin Small, executive director, will oversee the day-to-day operations of the company.

Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy’s board of directors and Markus Tacke mutually agreed to terminate his CEO contract June 17. Andreas Nauen, who has headed the company’s offshore activities, has been appointed the new CEO. 

Gravity has appointed Richard Robert CFO. 

Laredo Petroleum Inc. has named Bryan Lemmerman CFO. He succeeds Michael Beyer, who has stepped down from his position. 

Key Energy Services Inc. has appointed Nelson Haight CFO, senior vice president and treasurer. 

Jonathan (Jack) Thayer has joined Venture Global LNG Inc. as CFO. 

Aker Solutions CFO Ole Martin Grimsrud has given notice that he will step down from his position, effective Sept. 1, to pursue other opportunities. 

CAM Integrated Solutions has named Brian McPherson chief accounting officer. 

The Texas Alliance of Energy Producers has appointed Jason Modglin president. 

TengBeng Koid has joined Flotek Industries Inc. as president of global business. Additionally, the company has welcomed Kevin W. Brown to its board of directors. 

Danos has named Reed Peré vice president of Permian operations. 

Gro Haatvedt will step down as vice president of exploration and development with Neptune Energy at the end of September. She will continue serving as Neptune’s distinguished adviser. 

David G. Hill has stepped down as executive vice president of land and exploration with Ovinitv after the company announced a 25% cut to its workforce. 

John Ale has retired as Southwestern Energy Co.’s general counsel and corporate secretary. He will besucceeded by Chris Lacy. 

Sercel-GRC has appointed Song Hu sales and support manager. 

AccessESP has selected Matthew Walker as the customer application performance manager for the U.S. market. 

COMPANIES

Sparrows Group has relocated to a new purpose-built facility in Luanda, Angola, to support its growing operations in Africa.

Carbon Engineering Ltd., a Canadian clean energy company, has broken ground on its new Innovation Center in Squamish, B.C., which is due to be completed by August 2021.

GATE Energy has opened its new South Korea office to form the strategic stronghold for commissioning and engineering support for the company in the region.

Geoprocesados and DownUnder GeoSolutions (DUG) have announced that Geoprocesados has recently opened a new DUG McCloud-based seismic processing and imaging center in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

BP has agreed to sell its global petrochemicals business to Ineos for $5 billion.

Bristow Group Inc. and Era Group Inc. have completed their merger. The newly combined company will use the Bristow Group name.

Glenfarne Group LLC has acquired Magnolia LNG through Glenfarne’s newly formed subsidiary Magnolia LNG Holdings LLC.

Chevron Corp. has entered into a definitive agreement with Noble Energy Inc. to acquire all of the outstanding shares of Noble in an all-stock transaction valued at $5 billion. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter.

BJ Services LLC has voluntarily filed petitions under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. BJ intends to sell its assets and is in active discussions with bidders regarding both the cementing business and portions of the fracturing business.