BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The Board of Directors (the Board) has the overall responsibility to shareholders for all governance matters of the Group. The Board remains primarily responsible for the strategic direction and financial aspirations of the Group, whilst delegating the responsibilities of management to the Chief Executive Officer and the senior management team.
The Board aims to fulfil its responsibilities by creating value for all stakeholders that is sustainable and beneficial. Stakeholders include shareholders, employees, customers, the community and the environment.
The Board has adopted a Charter (the Board Charter) that includes amongst other items, the specific roles and responsibilities of the Board. The Board Charter is available by clicking here.
Mr. Donald Beard BSc (Hons) (Geol & Min)
Chairman, Non Executive Director
Mr. Beard was appointed a Director of Molopo Australia Limited on 2 April 2001. He spent the first five years of his career in Australia working as a geologist. In 1976 he moved to Balikpapan, Indonesia, with Union Oil Company of California. In 1978 he joined IIAPCO where he was promoted to Vice President Exploration Asia/Pacific for the Diamond Shamrock International Petroleum Corporation. In 1986 Mr. Beard returned to Australia and was appointed Chief Executive and Director for Peko Oil Ltd. Santos Limited took over Peko in 1988 and Mr. Beard retired from Peko in 1990. From September 1990 to March 1999, Mr. Beard was Managing Director of Cultus Petroleum NL.
Mr. Stephen Mitchell BA, MA
Managing Director, Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Mitchell was appointed a Director of Molopo Australia Limited on 22 September 1999. Mr. Mitchell has over 15 years experience in the international resources industry in various capacities including corporate advisory, investment banking and management. Mr. Mitchell completed an M.A. in International Economics and Politics in the USA, and spent several years in New York with a major US investment bank specialising in resources. Later he established the corporate advisory division within the Lowell Group, again concentrating on the resources sector. Mr. Mitchell is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Mr. Ian Gorman BA (Hons), MA, Grad Dip (Bus Mgt)
Executive Director, Chief Operating Officer
Mr. Gorman was appointed a Non-Executive Director of Molopo Australia Limited on 13 November 2006 and became an Executive Director and the Chief Operating Officer on 4 April 2007. He has 26 years experience in oil, gas and coalbed methane ("CBM"), seven with Shell International in south east Asia and nineteen with BHP Billiton Ltd in a number of petroleum engineering and management roles. From 2002 to 2007 Mr. Gorman was Global Technical Leader for BHP Billiton's worldwide CBM activities. Mr. Gorman was Global Technical Director (Production and Operations) for the International Society of Petroleum Engineers from 2003 to 2006.
Mr. Geoffrey Phillips MBA, BE (Chem) (Hons)
Non Executive Director
Mr. Phillips was appointed a non-executive director of Molopo Australia Limited on 1 July 2008. Mr. Phillips has over 30 years experience spanning several industries, including oil and gas, engineering, financial services and infrastructure. Mr. Phillips is a member of the Institute of Chemical Engineers and the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Between 1996 and 2005, he held several positions at Transurban Group, an ASX 200 company, including Deputy Managing Director and Finance Director. Prior to joining Transurban Group, Mr. Phillips was a Commercial Manager at Santos Limited, where his role had a strong focus on eastern Australian gas markets. He was also Managing Director of TMOC Resources, a successful Australian oil and gas company acquired by AGL.
Dr. David Hobday BSc (Hons), MSc (Geology), PhD (Geology)
Non Executive Director
Dr. Hobday was appointed a non-executive director of Molopo Australia Limited on 29 June 2009. Dr. Hobday is a geologist with diverse experience in the oil and gas industry as a geologist, company director, investment manager, corporate advisor and research scientist. He received his PhD degree from Louisiana State University and was a Research Fellow at Oxford University. Dr. Hobday's oil and gas industry activities span a period of 35 years and have covered five continents. He was a 1984 recipient of the Wallace Pratt Memorial Award from the American Association of Petroleum Geologists in recognition of significant contributions to petroleum geology.
As a fund manager with APA Oceanic during the 1980s, Dr. Hobday was responsible for investments in energy and mineral equities. With Bank of America and then the Australian Bank he was involved in corporate finance within the resources sector. He has served on the Boards of several energy and mining companies (both public and private) in Australia and North America. Dr. Hobday has enjoyed a long association with Molopo and is a former director of the Company who subsequently joined a private oil and gas group in the US.
Company Secretary
Mr. Anthony Bishop was appointed Chief Financial Officer on 8 September 2008 and Company Secretary on 17 September, 2008. Mr. Bishop has over 15 years experience in the energy and finance industries in various capacities including investment banking, corporate advisory and corporate finance. His areas of expertise comprise project finance, mergers and acquisitions and capital raisings. Previous employment includes Goldman Sachs JBWere, as Director, Energy Analyst covering oil, gas, utilities and alternative energy companies, and Shell in various roles including mergers and acquisitions. Mr. Bishop holds degrees in Economics and Law. Mr Bishop is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Mr. Monty Bowers, B.Sc. (Geological Engineering)
Director, President & CEO of Molopo Energy Canada Ltd.
Mr. Bowers was appointed Director, President & CEO of Molopo Energy Canada Ltd. on November 16, 2009. He has >30 years of increasing experience and responsibility in oil and gas exploration and development with majors (Shell Canada and Amerada Hess) and most recently, junior oil and gas companies (Remington Energy Ltd., Petromet Resources Ltd., Capitol Energy Resources Ltd. and Amarone Oil & Gas Ltd.) all focused on the Western Canada sedimentary basin. He was a founding principal, Director, President & CEO of Capitol Energy Resources Ltd. which returned a 68% average annual compounded return on equity to the shareholders in just over 3.5 years on the sale of the company. Mr. Bowers is both a registered Professional Engineer and Professional Geologist with the Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists and Geophysicists of Alberta.
Directorships of TSX listed companies in the last three years:
- Non-executive director of Emerge Oil & Gas Inc. (August 2008 to present)
- Executive director of Capitol Energy Resources Ltd. (May 2005 to September 2008)
Mr. Lanny Fenwick, B.Sc (Mechanical Engineering)
Non-Executive Director of Molopo Energy Canada Ltd.
Mr. Fenwick has been continuously employed and active in the North American oil and gas industry for more than 37 years prior to his retirement in 2007. He retired from EOG Resources Canada Inc. where he directed the company as Senior Vice President and General Manager from 1991 to 2007. Prior thereto, Mr. Fenwick held various executive and management positions at EOG Resources Canada Inc., Canterra Energy Ltd. and CDC Oil and Gas Limited where he was responsible for production, engineering and hydrocarbon marketing.
Mr. Fenwick is now an independent businessman living in Calgary, Alberta.