John D. Schiller Jr
Mr. Schiller is our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, and has been since our inception in 2005. Mr. Schiller's career spans 30 years in the oil and gas industry. In addition to forming the Company, Mr. Schiller served as: Vice President, Exploration and Development, for Devon Energy from April 2003 to December 2004 with responsibility for domestic and international activities; Executive Vice President, Exploration and Production, for Ocean Energy, Inc. from 1999 to April 2003, overseeing Ocean's worldwide exploration, production and drilling activities; and Senior Vice President of Operations of Seagull Energy. Prior to serving in those offices, Mr. Schiller held various positions at Burlington Resources, including Engineering and Production Manager of the Gulf of Mexico Division and Corporate Acquisition Manager, and at Superior Oil where he began his career in 1981. Mr. Schiller currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Houston Alley Theatre and Escape Family Resource Center, both charitable organizations. He is a registered professional engineer in the State of Texas and is a charter member and past Chairman of the Petroleum Engineering Industry Board, a member of the Look College of Engineering Advisory Council, and a member of the President's Council at Texas A&M University. His memberships also include the Independent Petroleum Association of America, the American Petroleum Institute, the Houston Producers Forum and the Society of Petroleum Engineers. Mr. Schiller graduated with honors from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Science in Petroleum Engineering in 1981, and was inducted into the Texas A&M University Harold Vance Department of Petroleum Engineering's Academy of Distinguished Graduates in 2008. The Board of Directors believes that it is important for the Company's Chief Executive Officer to serve on the Board of Directors. The Chief Executive Officer provides a link to senior management, and our Board of Directors believes that this perspective is important in making decisions for the Company. In addition, Mr. Schiller, one of the founders of the Company, brings extensive expertise in our industry which assists the Board of Directors in making strategic decisions and makes him uniquely qualified to lead our Board. Mr. Schiller has been engaged in all facets of exploration, development and drilling activities, both domestically and internationally, for many years. He is particularly experienced in the Gulf of Mexico areas where our company's core operations are located and has directed exploration and development activities throughout his business career. Mr. Schiller's extensive knowledge regarding operational matters, as well as his managerial experience and his history as founder of our company, makes him exceptionally suited to lead our Board of Directors and our company.
William Colvin
Mr. Colvin is one of our independent non-executive directors. He chairs our Audit Committee and is a member of our Remuneration and Nomination Committees. During 2009 and 2010 Mr. Colvin focused on personal interests following the end of his almost four year service with Southern Cross Healthcare PLC, a nursing home operator based in the UK, where most recently he served as Chief Executive during 2008. From March 2005 to January 2008, until his appointment as Chief Executive, Mr. Colvin served as Southern Cross Healthcare PLC's chairman of the board, the role Mr. Colvin assumed following the acquisition of NHP Plc by funds controlled by The Blackstone Group. From January 2000 to February 2005 Mr. Colvin was a director of NHP Plc, a property investment group in the UK specializing in the ownership of freehold or long leasehold interests in modern purpose-built nursing homes. From November 2000 to February 2005, Mr. Colvin was also the Chief Executive of NHP Plc. He was Finance Director of British-Borneo Oil & Gas Plc from 1992 to 1999. From 1990 to 1992, Mr. Colvin was Finance Manager/Director at Oryx UK Energy. From 1989 to 1990, he was group financial controller at Thames Television Plc. From 1984 to 1989, he worked in a variety of financial roles for Atlantic Richfield (ARCO) Inc. From 1979 to 1984, Mr. Colvin worked in the audit department of Ernst & Young. He qualified as a Scottish Chartered Accountant in 1982 and holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Edinburgh. With more than 30 years experience in economics and accounting, Mr. Colvin has the education, background and leadership skills needed to serve our Board and chair our Audit Committee. His years in the accounting industry, as well as in finance, have provided him with the skill set necessary to evaluate our financial results and oversee our financial reporting, particularly considering his knowledge of accounting principles and financial reporting rules. Additionally, his experiences working in the oil and gas industry enable him to understand and review our operations. Mr. Colvin also draws on his many years serving in top management levels of large corporations and his service on boards of directors of other companies. His extensive career positions him well to help guide our Board of Directors, chair our Audit Committee and serve as a member of our Nomination and Remuneration Committees.
Paul Davison
Mr. Davison is one of our independent non-executive directors. He became a director on May 7, 2007 and is a member of our Audit, Nomination and Remuneration Committees. Mr. Davison has over 31 years of experience in the oil and gas industry in petroleum engineering and general management positions with Shell and Clyde Petroleum plc and most recently serving as Technical and Operations Director of Paladin Resources plc from 1997 until its takeover in 2006. Since 2006 he has pursued personal interests. Mr. Davison graduated from Nottingham University in 1974 with a degree in Mining Engineering. Having served the oil and gas industry in various capacities for more than 30 years, Mr. Davison brings a wealth of knowledge and experience relating to our operations. His career in operations, ranging from engineer to operations director, has provided Mr. Davison with a very strong foundation for assessing our overall corporate strategies and reviewing our operations. Mr. Davison also brings significant managerial experience, providing him with substantial knowledge in personnel management. His education, background and the diversity of his employment roles in the oil and gas field all make him a valued member of our Board of Directors, as well as our Audit, Nomination and Remuneration Committees.
David Morris Dunwoody
Mr. Dunwoody is one of our independent non-executive directors. He chairs the Remuneration Committee and is a member of our Audit and Nomination Committees. Mr. Dunwoody is the President of Morris Pipeline Company, a natural gas gathering company operating in Texas and has served in that capacity since 1998. From 1982 to 1998, Mr. Dunwoody held various positions with TECO Pipeline Company, an intrastate pipeline company operating in Texas. Prior to being acquired by PG&E Corporation, TECO operated over 1,100 miles of gas gathering and transmission pipelines. Mr. Dunwoody graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 1971, receiving a Bachelors of Business Administration degree. Bringing 40 years of experience in the oil field services industry, Mr. Dunwoody makes an excellent addition to our Board of Directors. In addition to an extensive background in the oil and gas industry, he brings an over ten-year tenure as President of Morris Pipeline Company, which has provided him with managerial skills necessary to assess and help direct our corporate personnel policies and makes him highly qualified to lead our Remuneration Committee. Additionally, his experience and education in business administration positions him well to serve our Board of Directors, Audit Committee and Nomination Committee.
Cornelius Dupré II
Mr. Dupré was nominated and approved to serve as one of our independent non-executive directors in September 2010. He is a member of our Audit, Nomination and Remuneration Committees. Mr. Dupré is the Chairman of Dupré Interests, an oil and gas exploration services company, serving in that capacity since founding the company in 2004. Additionally, Mr. Dupré is owner of several oil and gas service companies, including KSW Oilfield Rentals (October 2004 to present), Venture Transport & Logistics (owner and Chairman, June 2004 to 2008), Dolphin Energy Equipment (December 2007 to present) and Catalyst Construction (July 2008 to present). He has also served on the Board of Directors of Caza Oil & Gas, Inc., a publicly-held company trading on the AIM and the Toronto Stock Exchange, since April 2008, Crystal Fuels Inc. (2006 to present), Foundation Energy (June 2004 to present) and Domain Energy Partners (February 2005 to present). Prior to these activities, Mr. Dupré served as Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing of National Oilwell, Inc. (July 1999 to May 2004) and as founder, Chairman and CEO of Dupré Companies, a group of oilfield services companies, from November 1981 until the company's merger with National Oilwell, Inc. in July 1999. Mr. Dupré belongs to a number of industry groups, as well as charitable and community organizations, including: the Society of Petroleum Engineers, American Petroleum Institute, IPAA, Petroleum Equipment Suppliers Association, International Association Drilling Contractors, National Ocean Industries Association, Houston Producers Forum, Baylor College of Medicine Partnership Foundation, Board of Independent Producers Association Mountain States, Sam Houston Area Boy Scouts of America (Board member) and Spindletop Charity Foundation (Board member). In 1980 Mr. Dupré graduated from Louisiana State University with a Bachelor of Science, received his Master of Business Administration from Northeastern University and received a Juris Doctor degree from Louisiana State University Law Center. As an oil and gas services entrepreneur with more than 30 years of experience, Mr. Dupré brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our Board of Directors. Additionally, his many years as founder, director and leader of various businesses have provided him with a skill set to help us address operational, management, personnel and business development matters. His experiences as director of other companies has made him well-versed in corporate governance and management matters, making him a valued addition to our Board of Directors, as well as our Audit, Nomination and Remuneration Committees.
Hill A. Feinberg
Mr. Feinberg is one of our independent non-executive directors. He chairs the Nomination Committee and is a member of the Audit and Remuneration Committees. Mr. Feinberg is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of First Southwest Company, a privately held, fully diversified investment banking firm founded in 1946. Before joining First Southwest Company in 1991, Mr. Feinberg was a Senior Managing Director at Bear Stearns & Co. and a former Vice President and Manager of Salomon Brothers in the Dallas office. Mr. Feinberg is a past Chairman of the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB), the self-regulatory organization charged with the responsibility of writing rules governing the municipal securities activities of registered brokers. Mr. Feinberg also formerly served as a member of the board for Compass Bancshares, Inc. and is currently a member of the Greater Dallas Chamber. His civic and charitable service includes chairing the board of directors of the Phoenix House Foundation, as well as serving as a board member of the Cardiopulmonary Research Science and Technology Institute, a member of the Executive Committee of St. Mark's School of Texas and a board member of Visitors of UT Southwestern Health System. He is also the past Chairman of the Board of Directors of the MBM Foundation, which is the governing board of the partnership between Menninger Clinic and Baylor College of Medicine. Mr. Feinberg received his bachelor's degree in finance from the University of Georgia in 1969, receiving the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of Georgia's Terry College of Business in May 2008. After graduation, Mr. Feinberg joined the United States Army Corps of Engineers, serving as 1st Lieutenant in Vietnam from 1970 to 1971. Mr. Feinberg has spent more than 30 years as a leader in the financial services industry. His finance-based education, his extensive experience in banking and investments, as well as his service to regulatory groups all blend to make him a valuable member of our Audit and Remuneration Committees. Additionally, his years leading a corporate organization and his service to other boards of directors have given him a deep understanding of the role of the board and committees, making him well qualified to chair our Nomination Committee and help guide our Board of Directors. Mr. Feinberg also formerly served as a member of the board for Compass Bancshares, Inc. and is currently a member of Greater Dallas Chamber. His civic and charitable service includes chairing the board of directors of the Phoenix House Foundation, as well as serving as a board member of the Cardiopulmonary Research Science and Technology Institute, a member of the Executive Committee of St. Mark's School of Texas and a board member of Visitors of UT Southwestern Health System. He is also the past Chairman of the Board of Directors of the MBM Foundation, which is the governing board of the partnership between Menninger Clinic and Baylor College of Medicine. Mr. Feinberg received his Bachelor's degree in Finance from the University of Georgia in 1969, receiving the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of Georgia's Terry College of Business in May 2008. After graduation, Mr. Feinberg joined the United States Army Corps of Engineers, serving as 1st Lieutenant in Vietnam from 1970 to 1971.
Kevin Flannery
Mr. Flannery was nominated and approved to serve as one of our independent non-executive directors in September 2010. He is a member of our Audit, Nomination and Remuneration Committees. He brings over 40 years of experience in both operational and financial management roles in a various industries. He is currently the president and chief executive officer of Whelan Financial Corporation, a company he founded in 1993 that specializes in financial management and consulting, and is a member of the New York Stock Exchange Allocation Committee. He was formerly the chairman and chief executive officer of several companies, including Rehrig United Inc., a manufacturing company (2008), RoweCom, Inc., a provider of service and e-commerce solutions for purchasing and managing print and e-content knowledge resources (2003 to October 2004) and, Telespectrum Worldwide, a telemarketing and consumer service company (April 2002 to October 2004). Because of Mr. Flannery's experience in financial management, several companies have sought his expertise during times of financial issues. He was sought by Rehrig United Inc. to assist its eventual liquidation in 2009 when it could not survive a spike in material costs and RoweCom Inc. to oversee its Chapter 11 protection and negotiations with the creditors' committee in 2004.
He currently is chairman of the board of the magazine publishing company, Modern Luxury Media Inc., serves as director and member of the compensation committee of ATS Corporation, a technology contractor publicly traded on AMEX, and serves as a director of Luxfer Holdings PLC, a manufacturer of high performance engineering materials and FPM Heat Treating LLC, a leading provider of heat treatment processes. He has additionally served on the boards of directors of Dan River Inc. (2005); Darling International, Inc. (May 2004 to May 2006 audit, compensation and governance committees); Sheffield Steel Corp. (August 2002 to May 2006 special committee chairman); Cascade Timberland LLC (December 2004 to June 2006 audit committee member); Atkins Nutritionals Inc. (2006 to September 2007 audit committee chairman and compensation committee member); Norwood Promotional Products Inc (2006 to 2007 audit and finance committee chairman and compensation committee member); Texas Petrochemical LP (May 2004 to June 2009 compensation and finance committees chairman); Daystar Technologies, Inc. (April 2007 to September 2009 compensation committee chairman); and Seitel, Inc. (December 2004 to May 2007 compensation, nomination and governance committees). Mr. Flannery began his career at Goldman Sachs & Co and was a senior managing director of Bear Stearns & Co. His 40 years of experience in both operational and management roles in a variety of industries provides insight into the Company's operational and financial opportunities. Additionally, his service to various boards and committees has given him a depth of knowledge concerning governance matters, making him an excellent addition to our Board of Directors, as well as our Audit, Nomination and Remuneration Committees.
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