Transocean CFO leaves. Atwood CFO steps in as new one

Transocean Ltd., an offshore drilling contractor, has announced that Esa Ikaheimonen is stepping down as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer effective immediately.

Ikaheimonen has also resigned his company-appointed position as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Transocean Partners LLC, a subsidiary of Transocean.

“Esa brought a fresh and unique perspective to Transocean when he joined the company almost three years ago and he has contributed materially to the company’s capital structure, fleet rationalization and cost management initiatives,” said Jeremy Thigpen, Transocean’s President and Chief Executive Officer.

“On behalf of all of Transocean, I thank Esa for his service and wish him great success in his future endeavors.”

New CFO steps in

Additionally, Transocean announced that Mark Mey has been appointed as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer effective May 28, 2015. Mey most recently served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Atwood Oceanics.

Thigpen continued: “I have known Mark for a number of years, and I am very pleased to have the opportunity to finally work with him. Mark brings extensive industry and leadership experience to the CFO role, and he will be a great addition to the Transocean team.”

Including his almost five years at Atwood, Mey has over 28 years of experience in the energy and financial services industries in both the United States and South Africa, Transocean said.

Prior to Atwood, Mey was Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer and a Director of Scorpion Offshore Ltd. He also held positions of increasing responsibility during his 12 years with offshore driller Noble Corporation, including Vice President and Treasurer. Mey earned an Advanced Diploma in Accounting and a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

He is a Chartered Accountant and attended the Harvard Business School Executive Advanced Management Program.

Atwood names interim CFO

Rob Saltiel, President and Chief Executive Officer of Atwood, remarked, “Mark has played a significant role in the Company’s growth strategy over the past five years, and we are sorry to see him leave.”

Atwood’s Board of Directors has appointed Mark W. Smith as Chief Financial Officer on an interim basis. Smith has served as Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer and Controller since May 2014 and in other finance roles since joining the company in February 2009. Atwood says that including his service to the company, Smith has over 20 years’ experience in the financial, consulting and energy industries.