Dana Gas Welcomes New CEO, UAE

Dana Gas, the Middle East’s leading publicly-listed natural gas company, has announced the appointment of Patrick Allman-Ward as the new Group CEO for the company with effect from 01 September.

The company, which is listed on the Abu Dhabi Exchange (ADX) and recently announced the successful re-financing of its US$1 billion sukuk, conducted an extensive executive search process after the retirement last year of its CEO, Mr. Ahmed Al-Arbeed, who remains a Member of the Board.

The incoming CEO Dr Patrick Allman-Ward is an accomplished international energy executive with over 30 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, in many senior positions including in the Middle East and the Gulf Region in particular. He also brings with him an in-depth knowledge of Dana Gas as the current General Manager of Dana Gas Egypt, having joined the company in 2012 after a successful career with Shell International.

Through his responsibilities in managing all aspects of Dana Gas’ operations in Egypt, including exploration, production, business development and government relations, Dr Allman-Ward successfully achieved new exploration discoveries, increasing production and developing new business opportunities.

He will continue as General Manager for Dana Gas Egypt until a suitable replacement has been found.

Patrick Allman-Ward started his career at Shell in 1982. He gained experience in a wide range of departments including exploration, planning, business development, commercial negotiations and HSSE.  At Shell he held senior management roles as Vice-President Exploration for Asia-Pacific, CEO and Board Member of the South Rub Al Khali Company – of which Saudi Aramco was a major shareholder, Vice-President of New Business Development in Saudi Arabia and New Ventures Execution Manager for Europe.

Dr. Allman-Ward, who is English, studied geology at Durham University and earned his PhD from the Royal School of Mines, Imperial College, University of London.  He is a member of the American Association of Petroleum Geology (AAPG), the European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers (EAGE), the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) and the South-East Asia Petroleum Exploration Society (SEAPEX).

Dr Adel Khalid Al-Sabeeh, Chairman of the Board of Dana Gas, said: “On behalf of the Board of Directors, we are pleased to announce Patrick Allman-Ward as the new CEO of Dana Gas. After a detailed search and interview process of many candidates, we are confident we have found the right person. Patrick Allman-Ward brings deep industry experience, invaluable knowledge of our business and a proven record running the Dana Gas team in Egypt and developing strong relationships with government authorities. Patrick will be focused on driving our next phase of growth in Egypt, the UAE and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq as we prepare to expand into new areas throughout the Middle East-North Africa region.”

Continuing, Dr Al-Sabeeh said: “The Board would like to also especially thank Mr. Rashid Saif AlJarwan for fulfilling the vital role of Acting CEO over the past year.  His tireless service for the company and its shareholders during an important year is very much appreciated, and he will continue to play an important role during the transition period as Executive Director and a Member of the Board.”

Commenting on his appointment, Dr Patrick Allman-Ward said: “Dana Gas is an extremely well-respected energy company with a successful track record and strong growth potential throughout the region. I am honoured by the appointment and very excited at the prospect of working with the Board and the management team to continue developing our assets, lead the expansion into new areas, reduce our receivables position and above all achieve maximum value for our investors.”

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LNG World News Staff, July 9, 2013; Image: Dana Gas