New CEO taking the helm at Tullow

September 5, 2025, by Dragana Nikše

UK-headquartered Tullow Oil, an independent energy company with operations in West Africa, has appointed a new Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

As disclosed by Tullow, Ian Perks will take up the role of CEO and join the board on September 15, 2025. Richard Miller, who served as Interim CEO, will return to his role as Chief Financial Officer (CFO).

Perks holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Loughborough University and has over 30 years of experience in the upstream oil and gas business. He has held senior roles at BG Group, Anadarko, and TotalEnergies covering all aspects of the industry.

He also brings experience in Africa to the table, having acted as Senior Vice President for Mozambique LNG at Anadarko and later at Total. He also served as President of BG Tunisia and helped oversee the growth of BG’s business in Trinidad and Tobago.

“I am pleased to join Tullow at this pivotal time for the Company. My near term priority will be to work with Richard, the Tullow team and our stakeholders to put the Company on a long-term sustainable financial footing. We will then have an opportunity to grow the Company across Africa, leveraging our current assets and reputation on the continent of Africa to add value for our stakeholders,” said Perks.

Phuthuma Nhleko, Chairman of Tullow Oil, thanked Miller for stepping into the role of Interim CEO and congratulated him on the progress made during his tenure. He also expressed his pleasure with Perks’ appointment, noting that he brings a wealth of industry and African knowledge and experience.

In addition to the new CEO appointment, the U.K. player recently decided to exit Gabon and sell its assets to the Gabon Oil Company (GOC). The assets encompassed interests in the Etame Marin Complex, as well as in the Tchatamba facilities, DE8 license, and the Simba field.

Tullow also brought onstream this year’s first well at its Jubilee field offshore Ghana. As disclosed by the U.K. firm, the drilling of the first well at the field in 2025 resulted in “better than expected net pay.” The Noble Venturer drillship was used for the assignment.