Meet the Team
Chairman
Dr. Mike Watts
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45 Years industry experience. Previously with Shell, Burmah Oil, Premier, Holland Sea Search, Cairn Energy, Carlyle and Pharos
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10 Years active in The Netherlands, includes Ameland and Markham
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Architect of South Asia strategy as CEO at Amsterdam listed HSS and Cairn Exp Director / Deputy CEO at Cairn
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Closely associated with >50 discoveries and >$5.5 billion cash returns to shareholders
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32 Years of public NL / UK board experience
CEO
Simon Thomson
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30 Years industry experience, with Cairn Energy and its successor, Capricorn. Chair at Rockhopper
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CEO at Cairn Energy for 12 years
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Significant international experience including M&A activity in the UK, Norway, West Africa and South Asia
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Closely associated with >$5.5 billion cash returns to shareholders
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19 Years of public UK board experience
David Nelson
COO
MSc Petroleum Engineering
30 Years industry experience leading complex exploration and development projects across the North Sea, US Shale, Africa and India
Previously with Shell, BP, Anadarko, Cairn and Capricorn
Extensive experience in Southern North Sea gas assets
Experience combines subsurface understanding with commercial insights to identify and execute value-driven opportunities
Richard Slape
CFO
Over 35 Years industry and city experience working in equity capital markets and with independent oil and gas companies
Held roles at Rockhopper Exploration and Lansdowne Oil & Gas where he was Executive Director
CFO of RockRose Energy between 2019 and 2021.
CFO of Kistos between 2021 and 2024
Richard Houghton
Technical Director
MSc Sedimentology
25 Years industry experience in Venezuela, SE Asia, Middle East, Senegal, Greenland, Mexico and the North Sea.
Previously with Maersk, Cairn Energy and DNO as a consultant
Experienced with highly deviated development and extended reach wells
Allan Fraser
BD Director
20 Years industry experience in North Sea, Europe, North Africa and India leading to positions as operations manager and country manager
Managing Director at AFE, a drilling project management and engineering company with HQ in Aberdeen
Experienced in drilling engineering, project management and business development
Allan Robinson
Director
35 Years industry experience in North Sea, Middle East and Africa as well site and operations geologist
Extensive operational experience with Repsol, Hess, Cairn Energy and Galp
Pore Pressure studies have included Falklands, Namibia, Senegal, Greenland, Gabon, EG, PNG, India, Bangladesh and the North Sea