Pharos COO takes Hurricane Energy chief executive role

London-listed oil explorer Hurricane Energy has named a new chief executive officer (CEO) of the company.

Hurricane said on Friday that it named Antony Maris as an executive director of the company and CEO designate.

Maris brings 35 years of oil and gas sector technical and business leadership experience to Hurricane. Most recently, he spent 15 years with Pharos Energy where he was the COO from 2012 to early 2020.

In this role, he was responsible for the development and operation of several oilfields, in a joint venture with local and other parties, including fractured basement reservoirs offshore Vietnam and onshore Yemen.

Pharos Energy’s Vietnam assets, which delivered 60,000 bopd gross peak volumes, contributed significantly to Vietnam’s overall hydrocarbon output.

He was awarded the Friendship Order Medal by the Vietnam Government for his significant contribution to exploration and production activities.

Previously, Maris worked in a variety of engineering, commercial, and management roles with Consort Resources, LASMO, Monument Oil and Gas, and Phillips Petroleum.

He will work alongside the interim CEO Beverley Smith for a transition period and will assume the role of CEO following the publication of the company’s interim 2020 financial results, which are scheduled for release on 11 September 2020, at which time Smith will return to a non-executive role.

Steven McTiernan, chairman of Hurricane, said: “I am very pleased to report that Antony Maris has agreed to assume the chief executive role at Hurricane. His leadership record with entrepreneurial oil and gas companies, and importantly his technical experience and knowledge of the behaviour of fractured basement reservoirs, makes him the ideal candidate to lead Hurricane.

“The short transition period with Beverley Smith will allow their combined contribution to the ongoing technical review. I would also like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to Beverley for ably stewarding the company during the leadership transition.”

It is worth reminding that the executive team of the company has gone through several changes this year. Namely, the previous CEO Robert Trice resigned from the company by mutual agreement with the board of directors in early June.

Another member of the executive team that left via mutual agreement was chief financial officer and director Alistair Stobie.

On a more sombre note, chief operations officer and executive director of Hurricane Energy Neil Platt passed away last month.