Energy Players

UniversalPegasus International, an engineering, project management and construction management company serving the energy industry, has appointed Meg Lassarat as CFO. Lassarat will oversee the day-to-day financial and administrative operations of the Houston-based oilfield services organization. Lassarat joins UPI from Mustang Engineering LP where she was CFO for eight years. She began her career with KPMG Peat Marwick in public accounting, but has served in the global oilfield industry for the past 20 years. Lassarat holds a degree from Texas A&M University.

Elizabeth Ames Jones joins Patton Boggs LLP as senior policy advisor

Elizabeth Ames Jones, immediate past chairman of the Railroad Commission of Texas, has joined Patton Boggs LLP as a senior policy advisor. Based in Washington, DC, Jones joins Patton Boggs' Public Policy and Energy and Natural Resources practice groups. As a senior policy advisor, Jones will advise clients from a range of industry sectors on key policy issues, particularly those arising at the intersection of private industry and federal regulatory policy. Patton Boggs' core practice areas are government relations and lobbying, administrative and regulatory, commercial and transactional, litigation and dispute resolution, intellectual property, and international law. Prior to joining Patton Boggs, Jones served on the Railroad Commission of Texas, an elected position. During her tenure, she served as chairman of the commission twice. As Railroad Commission chairman, Jones oversaw a regulatory agency with statewide jurisdiction over the permitting of drilling for oil and natural gas, intrastate pipeline permitting and safety, rate making for investor-owned natural gas utilities, permitting of surface mining of coal, and the environmental protection of groundwater. An advocate for the protection of coastal habitat, she also served on the state's coastal land advisory board. Her experience includes four years in the Texas Legislature, from 2001 to 2005, where she was a member of the House Appropriations Committee and chairman of the Sub-Committee on Budget and Oversight of the House Energy Resources Committee. She was the first woman elected to a leadership position in the House Republican Caucus, and received many awards recognizing her work ethic and leadership. A native of San Antonio, Texas, Jones graduated in 1978 from the University of Texas at Austin.

Baker Hughes chairman Deaton to retire, Craighead to assume role

Chad Deaton, executive chairman of Baker Hughes Inc. (NYSE: BHI) will retire from the company on April 25, 2013 at the company's Annual Meeting. Martin Craighead will become chairman in addition to his current role as president and CEO. Deaton joined Baker Hughes in 2004 serving as chairman, president, and CEO until January 2012, when he assumed the role of executive chairman. Craighead began working with the company in 1986, and has served as president and CEO since January 2012. He was appointed COO in 2009 and president in 2010. Craighead has a bachelor of science degree from Pennsylvania State University and a master of business administration degree from Vanderbilt University.

HB Rentals names Aguilar senior VP

Onshore and offshore global accommodation specialist, HB Rentals, a Superior Energy Services company, has promoted Glenn Aguilar to senior vice president of global operations. He will be based in Houston. Under his leadership, business units have been established to represent each major operating region around the world, each consisting of its own sales and operations management team reporting into Aguilar. Aguilar has more than 25 years of oil and gas experience with at least 15 years focused on accommodation modules. Prior to his promotion, Aguilar held the position of vice president of corporate sales and marketing for HB Rentals. Aguilar came to HB Rentals as part of the Duffy and McGovern acquisition in 2007.

Oil and gas lawyer Bolton joins Faegre Baker Daniels

Michael K. Bolton, a nationally known transactional oil and gas lawyer from the Houston, Texas market, has moved his energy practice to Faegre Baker Daniels LLP. Focused principally on upstream and midstream transactions in the domestic and international energy sector, Bolton's work includes mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, financings and project development. Bolton previously served as a partner at DLA Piper in Houston. Said FaegreBD managing partner Andrew Humphrey, "As a result of this and several other strategic staffing additions in our Colorado offices in 2012, our oil, gas and other energy sector clients can now obtain from FaegreBD the type of transactional energy legal services predominately delivered in the US out of Houston, Texas." Bolton earned his LLM from Georgetown University Law Center in 2001, his JD from American University in 1998, and his bachelor's degree from Bethel University in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1990. Faegre Baker Daniels LLP—a combination of Faegre & Benson and Baker & Daniels on Jan. 1, 2012—offers a full complement of legal services to clients ranging from emerging enterprises to multinational companies.

Park Shaper to step down as Kinder Morgan president

Kinder Morgan president Park Shaper told investors January 16 that he would be stepping down from the company at the end of March. Effective March 31, Kinder Morgan's current executive vice president and COO, Steve Kean, will become president and COO. Kean has also been elected to the boards of directors of KMR and the general partner of KMP effective March 31, 2013. Kean has been with Kinder Morgan for 11 years, the last six as COO. Shaper will remain a member of the KMI board. He will resign from the boards of directors of KMR and the general partners of EPB and KMP effective March 31, 2013. Richard D. Kinder will continue as chairman and CEO of Kinder Morgan, but other corporate and business unit management changes will take place. Kinder and Kean will comprise the Office of the Chairman of Kinder Morgan. Jeff Armstrong, president of Kinder Morgan Terminals, will become vice president of corporate strategy for Kinder Morgan. Armstrong will be succeeded as president of the Terminals business segment by John Schlosser. Tom Bannigan, president of Products Pipelines, is retiring and will be succeeded by Ron McClain, currently vice president of operations and engineering for the Products Pipelines group. Tim Bradley, president of Kinder Morgan CO2, is retiring and will be succeeded by Jim Wuerth, who is currently vice president of finance and accounting for the CO2 segment. Joe Listengart, vice president and general counsel, will be stepping down from his current position and will be succeeded by Dave DeVeau, currently vice president and deputy general counsel. Listengart will continue working for the company, assisting as needed on significant transactions and other matters. Adam Forman, vice president and deputy general counsel, will assume the additional role of corporate secretary for the Kinder Morgan entities. David Kinder, vice president of corporate development and treasurer, will be retiring and will be succeeded by Dax Sanders. Kim Dang, vice president and CFO, will continue as CFO and will also assume responsibility for treasury and investor relations. David Michels, currently vice president of finance, will become vice president of finance and investor relations for Kinder Morgan and CFO of EPB. Anthony Ashley, currently director of finance, will become vice president and treasurer for Kinder Morgan.

Matheson appointed CFO of Dejour Energy

Dejour Energy Inc. (NYSE MKT: DEJ/TSX: DEJ), an independent oil and natural gas exploration and production company operating in North America's Piceance Basin and Peace River Arch regions, has named David Matheson as CFO, effective February 1, 2013. Matheson possesses an extensive 30-year oil and gas executive background with an emphasis on both management and finance. He previously served as CFO and then as president of Equatorial Energy Ltd. In addition, Matheson was the founder, president and CEO of Java Petroleum Corp. Java was subsequently acquired by TSX-listed Southern Pacific Resources Ltd. Matheson graduated from the University of British Columbia and was admitted to the Institutes of Chartered Accountants in British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, and Canada in 1975. Matheson replaces Mathew Wong, who is pursuing other career goals after serving as Dejour's CFO since its 'start-up' reactivation in late 2004.

Harden joins Hein & Associates as valuation services principal

Jim Harden serves as Hein's Business Valuation Services Leader, providing valuation, economic consulting and litigation support services to public and private companies, investment firms and law firms. With more than 30 years of experience in the energy industry, Harden's valuations have supported purchase price allocations, Federal, state and international tax structuring, estate planning, mergers and acquisitions, bankruptcies and damage estimation. He has worked in more than 30 countries serving clients that include global and domestic oil and gas companies, onshore and offshore drillers, oilfield service companies, midstream MLP's, independent refiners, petrochemical companies, ethanol and ammonia manufacturers, power companies, mining companies, hedge funds and private equity firms. Hein & Associates LLP is an audit, tax, and advisory firm serving public and private companies in a variety of industries across the country from our offices in Denver, Dallas, Houston, and Orange County. Hein also serves clients globally through its alliance with associations of independent accounting firms around the world.

Equal Energy names Oklahoma-based CFO

Calgary, Alberta-based independent oil and gas company Equal Energy Ltd. (TSX: EQU) (NYSE: EQU) has named Scott Smalling as vice president and CFO as part of its plan to strengthen its presence in Oklahoma. Smalling will take up his new position on February 1, 2013 and will be based in Equal's Oklahoma City office. Smalling is a graduate of Oklahoma State University and is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA). He most recently served as treasury manager at a major independent public oil and gas company. Equal is also proceeding with a search for senior engineering and exploration executives, to be based in Oklahoma. Dell Chapman, the current senior vice president of finance and CFO, will remain with Equal until the company has completed its year-end audit and reporting requirements, and preparations for the 2013 annual shareholder meeting. Equal Energy's oil and gas assets are centered on the Hunton liquids-rich natural gas property in Oklahoma.

Kindick joins WPX Energy board of directors

WPX Energy (NYSE:WPX) has elected Kelt Kindick to the company's board of directors. The appointment increases the size of WPX's board to 11. Kindick is a senior advisor with Bain & Company and previously served as the firm's CFO. He has more than 25 years experience working with senior management teams. He earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and is a graduate of Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa. Kindick will serve on WPX's audit committee along with Robert K. Herdman, John A. Carrig and William G. Lowrie. Ten of WPX's board members are independent. The sole inside director is Ralph Hill. WPX Energy is an exploration and production company focused on developing its oil and gas reserves, particularly in the liquids-rich Piceance Basin, the Bakken and Three Forks oil shales and the Marcellus Shale. WPX also has domestic operations in the San Juan and Powder River basins, as well as a 69% interest in Apco Oil and Gas International.

Byers named VP, business development for Atlas Copco Rental

Calvin Byers assumed the position of vice president, business development for Atlas Copco Rental, effective January 1, 2013. He is located in Edmonton, Alberta. Byers previously held the position of vice president operations West Region within the Atlas Copco Rental company. Atlas Copco is an industrial group with positions in compressors, expanders and air treatment systems, construction and mining equipment, power tools and assembly systems.

Crenshaw appointed RigNet VP

RigNet Inc., a global provider of managed remote communications solutions to the oil and gas industry, has appointed James R. "Jim" Crenshaw to the position of vice president and general manager –Western Hemisphere. Crenshaw has over 30 years of progressive experience in the oilfield services industry. His primary responsibilities will be to manage RigNet's existing businesses in North and South America and serve as a key contributing member of the company's executive team responsible for overall strategy and direction. Within the hemisphere, he will also be charged with leading RigNet into new countries and oil and gas vertical markets consistent with the company's global growth strategy. Serving most recently as region engineering manager, North America for Weatherford Secure Drilling Services, Crenshaw has had a long oilfield services career at Halliburton, Baker Hughes, Expro and Weatherford. He has attended the Executive MBA short course program at the Thunderbird School of Global Management. Crenshaw received a bachelor of science in petroleum engineering from Texas A&M University.

Haynes and Boone Mexico City adds to Finance Practice Group

Ariel Ramos has joined the Haynes and Boone LLP Mexico City office as a partner in the firm's Finance Practice Group. With 20 years of experience, Ramos focuses on transactions related to the development and financing of infrastructure projects, including power, oil and gas, petrochemical and liquefied natural gas, toll roads, maritime ports and terminals, water treatment plants, aqueducts and shipping. He has also experience in government procurement, regulatory advise in administrative law, international contracts, public-private partnerships (PPPs), real estate, M&A and corporate and debt restructuring matters. He has represented a wide range of clients including International and Mexican Financial Institutions, Multilateral Financial Institutions, Foreign and Mexican Export Corporation Agencies, International and Mexican Developers and Sponsors, Contractors, Construction and Operation companies and Agencies from the Federal and State Governments in Mexico. Ramos is recognized by several rankings and publications including Chambers Latin America where he has ranked Band 1 in Energy and Natural Resources, and Projects.