Xodus names first general manager in Egypt

Engineering company Xodus Group has appointed its first general manager in Egypt.

Xodus said on Monday that Salah Farid Tantawy, the company’s new general manager in Egypt, joined Xodus from Pico Petroleum Integrated Services.

He was most recently Pico’s project general manager for the Amal-C platform installation in the Gulf of Suez.

According to the company, Tantawy has 37 years’ experience working in oil and gas, having started his career as a project engineer. Before moving to Pico, he was the chairman assistant for projects with Gulf of Suez Petroleum – BP’s JV for oil production in Egypt.

Regarding his appointment, Tantawy said: “Xodus has gained a strong reputation within the country over the last few years, so I know I am joining a very experienced team with capabilities throughout the lifecycle of an asset.

“I hope my experience in managing multi-million-dollar projects and my knowledge of the Egyptian oil and gas sector will help in attracting new business as well as reinforcing already established partnerships.”

Since 2013, Xodus has won over £2 million in contracts in Egypt. Much of that work was previously won and carried out by Xodus’ offices in Aberdeen and London. However, the company found that an established base was required to increase business in the country.

The new office is located in the Maadi district of Cairo, central to many oil and gas company operational headquarters.

Steve Swindell, managing director of Xodus, added: “Over the last five years we have been collaborating with international and state organizations in developing upstream projects and increasing value of their assets. During this time, we have undertaken many scopes ranging between FEED work, advisory services, engineering studies and operational asset support assessments for major and independent oil and gas companies.

“Such a track record has established our reputation within the Egyptian market as a reputable and competent consultant. With the addition of Salah and a new office, it means we can engage with clients and deploy our services quicker which we hope will lead to us gain considerable new business.”

Earlier this year, Xodus appointed Eric Houston as a new environmental impact assessment (EIA) manager to strengthen its offshore energy and environmental teams.