ENERGY PLAYERS

Opportune LLP has admitted three partners and named three new managing directors. Carl Wimberley, Sean Clements, and Kurt King, all formerly managing directors of, have been admitted to the partnership. Wimberley runs the upstream sector practices of Opportune. Prior to joining Opportune in 2014, he was the senior vice president of Legend Natural Gas. Wimberly has more than 25 years of business experience. Clements joined Opportune in 2007 after working as a manager in the dispute and investigation practices of Navigant Consulting Inc. and Deloitte & Touche. He has over 15 years of consulting and advisory experience across the energy spectrum. King is in charge of the midstream sector practices of Opportune. He has over 22 years of energy supply chain experience. Prior to joining Opportune in 2009, King served as director of crude and products trading systems for Barclays Capital and Duke Energy and as a senior manager in Accenture's energy practice. James Fisher and Paul Legoudes have been promoted to managing director, and Bryan Gaston has joined the firm as a managing director. Fisher has over 25 years of client service and industry experience. Prior to joining Opportune in 2007, he worked as a director for a Houston based consulting firm in the area of risk and controls and as controller for an oilfield services firm. Legoudes has over 14 years of experience serving energy companies. Prior to joining Opportune in 2014, he worked as a director within PwC's transaction services group. Gaston joined the firm as managing director in its energy consulting practice. He specializes in restructuring and forensic accounting investigations and has advised companies and their creditors both in and out of court. Over the last 12 years, Gaston was a senior executive for other national and boutique restructuring firms. He is a CPA, a FINRA Series 79 License holder, and a Certified Turnaround Professional.

Clough names Bennett as CEO

Australia's Clough Ltd. has appointed Peter Bennett as CEO of the Murray & Roberts Oil & Gas business platform and of Clough Ltd., effective Feb. 1 and will also join the Murray & Roberts Ltd. board. He succeeds Kevin Gallagher, who was appointed CEO of Santos Ltd. in November 2015. Bennett most recently served as CB&I president, Oil & Gas International, based in The Hague, Netherlands. Prior to that, he was senior vice president, Oil & Gas Operations Australia and Asia Pacific, based in Perth, Australia. Bennett has more than 20 years of business leadership experience in the international oil & gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) markets covering general management, operations, project management, business development, and mergers and acquisitions.

Laws promoted to Enable Midstream CFO

Enable Midstream Partners LP has named John Laws as executive vice president, CFO, and treasurer. Laws succeeds former CFO Rod Sailor, who assumed the role of president and CEO on Jan. 1. Laws has more than 17 years of experience as a finance executive, more than nine of which have been devoted to the energy sector, in leadership positions in corporate finance and business and corporate development. Prior to being named CFO, he served as treasurer at Enable.

Hurricane Energy CFO retires

Nicholas Mardon-Taylor retires as CFO and as a director of UK-based Hurricane Energy plc, as planned, on Jan. 31. The process to identify a new CFO is underway. Hurricane is an oil and gas company focused on hydrocarbon resources in naturally fractured basement reservoirs. The company's focus is to discover, appraise, and develop oil reserves in basement rock, and has found oil on the UK Continental Shelf.

OMV appoints Florey as new CEO

Austria-based OMV Aktiengesellschaft has appointed Reinhard Florey as its new CFO. He will assume the role depending on his availability, at the latest with effect from Aug. 1, for a three-year period, with an extension option for OMV for a further two years. Florey is currently CFO of the Finnish Group Outokumpu, a producer of stainless steel. OMV's current CFO and deputy chairman of the executive board, David C. Davies, will resign from his position one month after the start date of Florey´s mandate.

Burleson founder joins Paul Hastings firm in Houston

Oil and gas attorney Rick Burleson, founder of Burleson LLP, a Houston, Texas-based firm that closed on Dec. 31, 2015, has joined Paul Hastings LLP in Houston to lead the firm's oil and gas practice group, according to various media outlets. Burleson founded his energy-focused law firm in 2005 but closed all five of its US locations at the end of last year due to the current state of the oil industry. Burleson has more than 30 years of experience practicing law in the oil and gas industry. He handles mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, and energy work including complex oil and gas acquisitions, divestitures, and other transactions for energy industry clients.

Hodges named Ward Energy Partners, Ward Petroleum CFO

Ward Energy Partners and Ward Petroleum Corp. have appointed Michael L. Hodges CFO. Hodges has more than 14 years of experience in financial reporting, capital markets and corporate finance within the oil and gas industry. Hodges joined Ward having served previously as CFO at Rex Energy and in various financial leadership roles with Chesapeake Energy, SandRidge Energy, and American Energy Partners. He is a CPA and graduated from the University of Oklahoma.

Way named Southwestern CEO

Southwestern Energy Co. has appointed Bill Way to succeed Steve Mueller as CEO. Way has also been elected to the board of directors. Mueller will continue to serve as a director and as non-executive chairman of the board until he retires at the May 2016 annual meeting of stockholders. Way joined Southwestern Energy in October 2011 as executive vice president and COO. As part of the company's succession planning, he was promoted to president in December 2014. Prior to joining the company, he was senior vice president, Americas of BG Group plc. He is a graduate of Texas A&M University with a degree in Industrial Engineering and has an MBA from The Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Peterson assumeS Synergy CEO role

Synergy Resources Corp. co-CEOs, Ed Holloway and William Scaff, stepped down from their executive positions effective December 31, 2015. They remain on the board of directors. Lynn A. Peterson was named CEO, effective January 1, 2016. He previously served as president. Holloway and Scaff will serve as advisors to Peterson regarding strategic initiatives, asset acquisitions and other activities through May 31, 2016.

Tudor, Pickering, Holt names managing directors

Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. has elected two individuals to join the firm's managing directors as of January 1, 2016. Travis W. Nichols now serves as a managing director in investment banking. Nichols was previously a regional planning advisor and business unit coordinator at ExxonMobil Upstream Ventures. He began his career in the US Army serving as a Captain with the 911th Engineer Company and a First Lieutenant with the Second Engineer Battalion. He holds a BS and a master's degree from Pennsylvania State University and an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Scott L. Simmons serves as a managing director in investment banking. Simmons was previously senior vice president, treasurer and co-owner of Progression Inc., an instrumentation company serving the chemical industry. Prior to Progression, Simmons worked as an associate at JP Morgan in corporate and investment banking. He has a BS in Chemical Engineering from Louisiana State University and an MBA from Tulane University.

Hydrocarb Energy appoints Lai as CFO

Hydrocarb Energy Corp. has appointed K. Andrew Lai as the company's new CFO. Lai has more than 28 years of corporate and financial experience, primarily in the exploration and production sector of the oil and gas energy industry, with specialization in the finance, accounting, legal, and administrative functions. From January 2013 to December 2015, Lai was an international financial consultant working mainly with oil and gas and real estate investors from China. From January 2011 to December 2012, Lai was the CFO of Lucas Energy Inc. in Houston, Texas. Lai received a BBA, MBA and JD from the University of Houston. He is a Texas attorney and certified public accountant.

Lilis Energy appoints Ormand chairman

Denver-Julesburg Basin-focused Lilis Energy has appointed Ronald D. Ormand as chairman of the company's board of directors. R. Glenn Dawson joins as an independent director and member of the audit committee. Former chairman Nuno Brandolini will remain a board member. G. Tyler Runnels, one of the company's largest shareholders who served as a non-independent director, is resigning his board position. Ormand joined Lilis's board as a director in March 2015 and holds over 33 years of experience as a senior executive and investment banker in the energy sector. He most recently served as senior managing director of Investment Banking Group at FBR & Co. Prior to that, he was a senior executive at Magnum Hunter Resources where he served in several positions, including executive vice president and CFO, and was a member of MHR's board. He holds a bachelor's degree in economics, and an MBA from UCLA. He also studied economics at Cambridge University, England. Dawson holds 35 years of oil and gas E&P management experience. Dawson founded several publicly traded oil and gas companies and currently serves as president and CEO of Cuda Energy Inc., a private Canadian-based E&P company. He holds a bachelor's degree from Weber State College, and attended the Masters of Science Program at the University of Calgary. The new composition of Lilis' board of directors reflects three independent and two management seats. The company believes that with the appointment of Dawson to its audit committee, the company has regained compliance with NASDAQ Listing Rule 5605(c)(2).

Hein & Associates names BRENDEL managing partner

James Brendel, CPA, CFE, has been named managing partner of Hein & Associates LLP. Brendel is a 28-year veteran of the firm and most recently served as Denver office managing partner. Brendel takes over for managing partner Brian Mandell-Rice, who has worked for the firm for nearly 30 years. William Mueldener has been named Denver office managing partner. Mueldener, previously tax principal and national director of state and local tax, will oversee the office and continue to serve clients. He has worked at Hein for nine years. Brendel has more than 30 years of public accounting and audit experience. He specializes in Securities and Exchange Commission reporting and provides public companies with consulting services for SOX 404 compliance, and complex accounting issues. He regularly assists clients with transactions such as mergers and acquisitions and initial public offerings.

Waers joins Babst Calland

Callie Waers joined Babst Calland's Charleston, W.Va. office as an associate in the Litigation and Energy & Natural Resources groups. Waers's practice focuses primarily on representing oil and gas companies in all forms of litigation, ranging from arbitration to state and federal courts, in a wide variety of matters. Waers earned her JD from Washington and Lee University School of Law.

Heim elected TPA chairman

Michael A. Heim, vice chairman to the board of directors, Targa Resources GP LLC, has been elected chairman of the Texas Pipeline Association. TPA is the largest state trade association in the country, which solely represents the interests of the intrastate pipeline network. Heim was executive vice president and chief operating officer of TRC between the date of its formation on October 27, 2005 and December 2011.

BakerHostetler adds Denver Managing DIrector, Houston partner

Poe Leggette has been named managing partner of BakerHostetler's Denver office, succeeding managing partner Raymond L. Sutton Jr., who served in that role for 20 years and will continue representing tax and wealth management clients. Leggette joined the firm in 2014 as co-leader of the firm's energy team. Prior to joining BakerHostetler, he led Norton Rose Fulbright's Denver and Pittsburgh offices and served as regional head for that firm's Americas energy practice. Leggette will continue to co-lead the energy team in addition to managing his energy practice. Leggette has litigated cases concerning the development of oil and gas onshore and offshore in the last 35 years. Legette is a former Assistant Solicitor for the US Department of the Interior. He received his JD from the University of Virginia and a BA, magna cum laude, from Tufts University. In Houston, the firm named Mark L. Jones as a partner in the Business and Corporate Group and on the Energy team. He comes to the firm, with his team intact, from Burleson LLP. With over 30 years of experience, Jones focuses his practice primarily in the energy industry, directing downstream, midstream, and upstream public and private oil and gas companies worldwide through mergers, acquisitions, and dispositions, and other financial capital-raising transactions. He received his JD from The University of Texas School of Law, and earned his BBA from The University of Texas.

Andrews Kurth adds Houston energy partner

Energy attorney Charlie Ofner has joined Andrews Kurth LLP's Houston office as a partner. Ofner previously served as senior counsel at Houston-based Oasis Petroleum Inc. Before joining Oasis, he was an associate at Houston's Vinson & Elkins LLP, where his practice focused on mergers and acquisitions and joint venture transactions in the energy industry. Ofner earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Vanderbilt University in 2004 before completing his law degree at the University of Texas School of Law in 2007.

Baker Donelson adds McKay to Business Litigation, Energy Groups

Ken McKay has joined the Business Litigation and Energy Groups at Baker Donelson. McKay joins as a shareholder in the Houston office, where he concentrates on commercial, energy and real estate litigation with a particular focus on eminent domain and land use matters throughout the US.

Barclays makes leadership changes within Oil and Gas team

Barclays Corporate Banking has made leadership changes in the UK within its Oil and Gas team, including new roles for Tom Wilkinson and Stuart Brown. Wilkinson will head up Oil and Gas, having worked as a member of the team for the last six years. He replaces Walter Cumming, who has retired from Barclays after seven years in the position. Wilkinson will lead the Oil and Gas team across Aberdeen and London. Brown, director in the Barclays Oil and Gas team, is based in Aberdeen, and will lead the bank's presence in the local Aberdeen market. He joined Barclays in 2015, and has worked for over 28 years in the banking sector with experience in relationship management and debt finance.

Simmons & Co. makes promotions

Simmons & Company has recently noted promotions within its investment banking and research groups. The promotions were effective January 1, 2016. In the investment banking group, the firm has promoted Dallas Griffin to director, E&P; Sanjiv Shah, managing director, energy services and equipment; and David Watson, managing director, energy services and equipment. Shah joined Simmons in 2008. Prior, he worked for Citigroup. Griffin graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with undergraduate degrees in Business Honors and Finance, as well as a Master's degree in Business Administration. Prior to joining the firm in 2009, Griffin interned at The Staubach Company and Third Coast Capital. He is also a CFA charterholder. Shah has 11 years of corporate finance experience. He graduated with a BSc (Hon.) in Economics from the University of Manchester. Watson joined the firm in 2008 from Sterling Bancshares. He earned an MBA from the University of Chicago and graduated from Texas A&M University with a BBA in Finance. In the research group, John Daniel was named managing director and co-head of oil service research, and Ian Macpherson was named managing director and co-head of oil service research. Daniel graduated with a BS in Finance from Lehigh University and received his MBA from Tulane University. Prior to joining the firm, he worked for Key Energy Services, serving most recently as vice president, corporate development. Macpherson graduated from Georgetown University with a BS in Business and earned an MBA from Tulane University's Freeman School of Business. Robert Muse was named managing director, institutional sales and head of European sales in London. Muse graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a BBA. Prior to joining the sales force, Muse was part of the oil service equity research team for nearly three years.

Mirabaud Securities appoints Thomas as oil and gas analyst

Mirabaud Securities LLP, the brokerage and corporate finance arm of Swiss financial and banking Group Mirabaud, has appointed David Thomas as oil and gas analyst. His coverage includes Amec Foster Wheeler, Aker Solutions, Petrofac, Saipem, Subsea 7, Technip, and Wood Group. Thomas brings more than 13 years in equities research and 17 years with large oil & gas E&P companies to his new role. He joins from Credit Suisse, where he served as senior oil & gas analyst. He has also held research roles at Cantor Fitzerald Europe, Unicredit, Citigroup, Deutsche Bank, Standard & Poor's, and Commerzbank, and began his career with Shell UK.

Vinson & Elkins adds Wommack to Finance Practice in Houston

Vinson & Elkins has added to its Finance Practice Group with partner Trevor Wommack, who focuses his practice on syndicated lending in the energy sector. Wommack, who joins the firm from Bracewell, will be based in V&E's Houston office. Wommack handles a range of lender-side work in the energy space, with particular emphasis on upstream exploration and production reserve-based financings. Wommack received his JD from the University of Texas School of Law. He also holds dual bachelor's degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

CACIB names Osorio managing director

Crédit Agricole Corporate & Investment Bank (CACIB), the corporate and investment banking arm of the Crédit Agricole Group, has appointed Leonardo Osorio, a 17-year senior Latin American bank executive, as a managing director in its Structured Finance Advisory Group for the Americas. Osorio will be the primary lead in Latin America of a recently launched New York-based CACIB advisory group focused on financial advisory mandates in the Americas, in addition to being involved in specific energy-related transactions in North America. Prior to joining CACIB, Osorio was a founder and managing director of L2 Energy Capital LLC, which was launched in 2012 as a financial advisory firm focused in the energy and infrastructure sectors in Latin America. Osorio previously was director of Project Finance Latin America for BNP Paribas. Osorio received his MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management.

Strehlow joins Navigator as general counsel

Navigator Energy Services LLC, a midstream provider, has added Kevin Strehlow to its senior leadership team as general counsel. Strehlow brings a combination of legal and financial experience to the company, having served as in-house counsel for a midstream company, an attorney with a large law firm, a financial analyst, and business journalist. Prior to joining Navigator, Strehlow served for nearly five years as chief counsel for Sunoco Logistics Partners LP. Prior to Sunoco, Strehlow was an associate with the Houston office of Bracewell & Giuliani LLP, where he did work in the energy, finance, and real estate markets. Strehlow also spent time as a market analyst reporter with Argus Media. Strehlow received his JD from the University of Texas at Austin and his Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and political science from Vanderbilt University.