Ophir names regional directors for Africa and Asia

Oil and gas company Ophir Energy plc has announced that it has appointed two new regional directors, namely, Dr John Bell to the position of Director – Asia and Dr Oliver Quinn to the position of Director – Africa and Global New Ventures.

The company said that the new directors will start their new roles with immediate effect, reporting directly to Chief Operating Officer Dr Bill Higgs, and will be responsible for “maximising the value of the assets and growing Ophir’s footprint in their respective regions.”

Bell will be based in Bangkok, Thailand. He was previously General Manager of Ophir’s Thai business having joined Ophir as part of the acquisition of Salamander Energy in 2015.

He has over 35 years’ experience in the global upstream oil and gas business having worked for BP, LASMO and Hess prior to joining Salamander Energy. Bell holds a PhD on Geological Sciences from Durham University and an MA in Natural Sciences from Cambridge University.

Also, Quinn who will be based in London, joined Ophir in 2013 and his most recent role was Director – New Business. According to Ophir, he has over 15 years industry experience having started his career with Shell before moving to Fairfield Energy and Hess. Quinn has a BSc in Geology, a PhD in Petroleum Geoscience and is an alumni of London Business School.

Bill Higgs, Chief Operating Officer of Ophir Energy, commented: “I am delighted to announce the appointment of John and Oliver to their new roles. By consolidating the regional directors and new business roles we have also been able to reduce costs as we continue to align the business for the current commodity price environment. Both John and Oliver are extremely capable individuals with a wealth of experience who are well placed to ensure that we maximise value creation from our assets in their respective regions.”