ROC OIL: It is with much sadness that the board and staff of ROC advise that on June 27, Dr John Doran, ROC's founder and chief executive, passed away after a short illness.
Doran's sensibly contrary enthusiasm, passion and charm have been the driving force behind the company since its foundation in 1997. He will be greatly missed by ROC's board and worldwide staff, business partners and shareholders, many of whom were known personally by Doran.
Our deepest sympathy and thoughts are with Doran's family at this tragic time.
TRANS-ORIENT PETROLEUM & TAG OIL New Zealand energy industry veteran Dave Bennett has resigned as chairman and director of Canada-listed junior explorer Trans-Orient Petroleum.
However, he remains a technical advisor and will continue to work closely with Trans-Orient on its exploration programs.
Bennett has also resigned as a director with fellow Toronto-listed junior TAG Oil, though he will also remain a technical advisor and will continue to work closely with TAG's New Zealand exploration programs.
"I will be doing exactly the same as before for both companies, but without the apparent conflicts of interest; I never saw it that way, though others might have, with me being a director of both companies," Bennett told PetroleumNews.net from Wellington this morning.
"Everything continues as before but I will have more freedom . . . I just want to do a few other things and I have a few projects in mind," Bennett told PNN.
Bennett first joined the TOP board as a director in August 2006 and was appointed company chairman in June last year. TAG appointed him as a director in April 2007.
Bennett said TOP's New Zealand operations would continue to be run from the Wellington suburb of Karori.
TAG's sole New Zealand staff member, Carlos Kazianis, also works from the same building that is owned by the Bennett family trust.
WOODSIDE PETROLEUM: Jakob Stausholm has resigned from the board, effective June 30.
Stausholm is a Shell-nominated director who has been on the board since 2006. Stausholm's resignation follows his decision to leave Shell to join a global facility service company.
Chairman Michael Chaney said Stausholm had been a very effective director during his two years on the board and wished him well in his new position.
Stausholm will be replaced as a Shell-nominated director by Ian Robertson, effective June 30. Robertson is executive vice president for Shell's finance operations, based in Singapore.
He has had a 28-year career with Shell including positions in the United Kingdom, Gabon and Malaysia.
SUN RESOURCES: The company wishes to advise that executive chairman Dr Brad Farrell retired from the board on June 30.
On July 1 he reverts to non executive chairman of the board and will continue in a casual capacity acting as a consultant for the company on a needs basis.
GB ENERGY: The directors advise that, effective July 1, Ildiko Wowesny has been appointed company secretary following the resignation of Phillip MacLeod.
The directors wish to thank MacLeod for his valuable contribution to the company since its incorporation and subsequent listing on the ASX in June 2007.
MOSAIC OIL: The board announced the resignation of Charles Copeman as non-executive director, effective June 30.
Copeman joined the board as chairman when the company listed on the ASX in 1989. He served as chairman until November 2001 and then as deputy chairman until October 2006.
The board would like to acknowledge Copeman's long and dedicated service to the company. The benefit of his experience and professional contribution will be missed at meetings.
Copeman retires at an exciting time for the company as Mosaic's accelerated drilling program produces positive results.
WHL ENERGY: Dr Jeffery Bateson has resigned as director with immediate effect.
WHL Energy thanks Bateson for his contribution to the company.
MOLOPO AUSTRALIA: The company is pleased to announce the appointment of Geoff Phillips to fill a casual vacancy on Molopo's board of directors.
Phillips has enjoyed a successful career that has spanned several industries, including oil and gas, engineering, financial services and infrastructure.
Between 1996 and 2005, he held several positions at Transurban, an ASX 200 company, including deputy managing director and finance director.
Prior to joining Transurban, Phillips was a commercial manager at Santos, where his role had a strong focus on eastern Australian gas markets. He was also managing director of TMOC Resources, a successful Australian oil and gas company acquired by AGL.
Phillips' recent directorships have included Westlink Group (chairman), Yarra Valley Water (deputy chairman), ASC, Airport Link Group (chairman), and CP2.
Molopo's chairman Don Beard said: "We are delighted that Phillips has agreed to join the Molopo board. He brings to the board an extensive set of skills that are particularly suited to the company's next phase of growth. His considerable knowledge and experience in the oil and gas and finance industries will be valuable, as will his extensive public company experience".
CHARTWELL ENERGY: Tor McCaul has been appointed chief executive of private Brisbane-based coal seam methane company Chartwell Energy, which is focused on CSM development in New Zealand.
McCaul, a graduate of the Centre for Petroleum Engineering at the University of New South Wales, has spent the past 11 years working in Pakistan, Indonesia and India for a London-listed (FTSE100) company on a variety of oil, gas and LNG projects in technical, finance, commercial and general management roles.
He officially starts with Chartwell on July 7, though he has already visited New Zealand, checking out the three CSM licences. Chartwell operates in conjunction with private New Zealand company, McDonald Investments, in the Waikato (1) and on the West Coast (2).
MARION ENERGY: The directors are pleased to announce the appointment of Douglas Martin to the board as an independent non executive director.
Martin is chairman of Enerplus Resources Fund, one of Canada's oldest and largest independent oil and gas producers with a market capitalisation of more than $C9 billion based on a portfolio of producing properties across western Canada and the United States, with a focus on large resource plays that offer predictable production and repeatable low-risk development opportunities.
Martin 's extensive and current involvement in the North American oil and gas industry is seen as adding important skills to the board as the company implements its strategy review to achieve optimum shareholder value based on the enviable position it has achieved to date.
The appointment to the board of Martin, together with the appointment of Dick Carter in March, significantly strengthens the board. The company has been fortunate to recruit these two senior and highly experienced independent non executive directors and will recommend to shareholders the granting to each of Martin and Carter 250,000 unlisted options at an exercise price of $1.50, which is 16.7 % above the closing market price of $1.285 for Marion shares on July 1.
A general meeting of shareholders will be convened in the near future to approve the issue of these options.
BOW ENERGY: The directors are pleased to announce that they have appointed Paul Lipski as Bow's CEO for petroleum and John de Stefani as Bow's CEO for LNG and commercial.
Lipski is a geologist with 25 years of domestic and international upstream petroleum experience, which includes exploration, development/production, operations and business development primarily with small to medium-size exploration and production companies in Australia and Canada. He is a skilled and proven oil finder, has a successful track record of petroleum business development and experience with coal seam methane exploration.
Lipski's primary focus will be to value add and expand Bow's oil and gas portfolio through successful exploration and appraisal programs and continued petroleum business development.
John de Stefani is a chartered accountant with 19 years of business experience and has spent the past eight years as general manager/director of an expanding power generator and CEO of a high-tech business that delivered strong sustainable growth. He has a proven successful track record in project finance, business development and asset management.
Commenting on their appointments, Bow's managing director Ron Prefontaine, stated:
"We are extremely pleased to have Lipski and de Stefani joining us to run our vast petroleum portfolio and drive our expansion into the domestic LNG market.
"Lipski 's target is to take our petroleum upstream business on its planned accelerated multiple growth paths. He has a wealth of experience in oil and CSG, particularly in Bow's primary focus areas in the Cooper-Eromanga and Bowen-Surat Basins as well as a successful track record of oil finding and business development in those areas.
"John de Stefani 's primary role will be to build our domestic LNG business with his corporate and commercial skills to be used in all facets of our business as we continue to grow. Their appointments will free my time to steer Bow's multiple growth paths in upstream and downstream petroleum, including the promising domestic LNG business."
NORWEST ENERGY: The directors are pleased to announce that Dr Roger O'Brien has been appointed chief executive of the company with effect from July 1.
Dr O'Brien (59), a New Zealand resident is a metallurgist and holds a PhD in fracture mechanics. He has been involved in the international upstream and downstream oil industry for more than 33 years, with field and management experience in the United Kingdom, Netherlands, New Zealand, East Timor and Australia in refineries, fuel supply systems; and on and offshore exploration and production.
He spent 14 years with Shell International Petroleum working in the UK, New Zealand and the Netherlands. After leaving Shell in 1988 he held a number of senior management positions in New Zealand within the petroleum and power industries. Those positions included group manager, production and development with New Zealand Oil & Gas (NZOG) where, among a range of other projects, he was involved with the development of the Tubridgi gas field in Western Australia. He also was a director of the NZOG subsidiaries and Pan Pacific Petroleum during some of that time.
For the past 10 years he has operated his own business consulting internationally to a number of sectors in industry including oil and gas, and covering a broad cross section of management and technical disciplines.
"O'Brien's diverse skill set, combined with his international business experience in and out of the petroleum industry brings to the company a unique ability that will be very welcome at Norwest as it expands its operations in the UK and we are pleased to have O'Brien on board," Norwest spokesman Peter Munachen said.
O'Brien will relocate from New Zealand to Perth in July. Under the terms of his three-year service contact he will receive an annual salary of A$375,000 and as part of his remuneration will be granted five million options to subscribe for shares in the capital of the company.
AUSTRALIAN BIODIESEL GROUP: The company has received a notice of resignation from Sarah Israel as a director of the company, effective June 30.
It is with regret the board has decided to accept Israel's resignation. Israel has been a serving director of the company since the commencement of the quotation of its securities on the official list of the ASX. The board wishes to acknowledge and thank her for her contributions to the company, especially during the recent period where there have been significant challenges faced by the biodiesel industry.
The company is pleased to announce that Hean Siew has accepted the position of company secretary. His appointment will be effective from July 4. Siew has more than 24 years experience in the financial services industry and holds a bachelor of economic and bachelor of laws from Sydney University.
On Siew's commencement with the company, Bevan Dooley, who is managing director and company secretary, will stand down as company secretary. Dooley will continue in his position as managing director and chief executive.
