Board of Directors
Francis Gugen (Chairperson)
Chairperson (board member since 2003)
Mr. Gugen was elected Chairperson in May 2009. He is currently active as a consultant and an investor in the energy industry. Mr Gugen served with Amerada Hess Corporation for eighteen years, from 1982 to 2000, holding various positions including chief executive of Amerada Hess UK from 1995 to 2000 and chief executive of northwestern Europe from 1998 to 2000. He acts as chairman and non-executive director for various other companies, including Island Gas Limited. Mr. Gugen has earlier worked for Arthur Andersen and is a UK chartered accountant.
Harald Norvik
Vice Chairperson (board member since 2003)
Mr. Norvik is partner of ECON. He is chairman of the Board of Aschehoug, member of the Board of Directors in ConocoPhillips and member of the Board in AGR. He served as chief executive officer of Statoil ASA from 1988 to 1999. He was finance director and a member of the executive board of the Aker Group from 1981 to 1988. He served as personal secretary to the Prime Minister of Norway and as Deputy Minister in The Ministry of Petroleum and Energy from 1979 to 1981. Mr. Norvik has a Master of Science Degree in Business from The Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration.
Holly Van Deursen
Board member (elected 2006)
Ms. Van Deursen also serves as non-executive director for The Bemis Company, Actuant Corporation, Capstone Turbine Corporation and Anson Industries. She was a member of BP plc’s top-forty executive team, as Group Vice President Petrochemicals from 2003-2005 and Group Vice President Strategy from 2001-2003. Prior to these executive leadership positions, Ms. Van Deursen held a variety of senior roles with BP and Amoco Corporation in Chicago, London and Hong Kong. She has previously been on the Board of the American Chemistry Council, as well as Amoco joint ventures in Korea, Taiwan and Japan. Ms. Van Deursen holds a BSc in Chemical Engineering from the University of Kansas and an MBA from the University of Michigan.
Wenche Kjølås
Board member (elected 2006)
Ms. Kjølås is currently working as CFO in Grieg Logistics AS. Prior to that, she was CFO in Kavli Holding AS. From 1997 to 1999, she acted as Managing Director in O.Kavli AS Norway, and from 1995 as Financial Director in Kavli Holding AS. From 1993 to 1995, she was Financial Manager in Hakon Gruppen AS in Bergen. From 1986 to 1992, she was employed with Touche Ross Management Consultants; from 1986 to 1990 as Management Consultant in Bergen and from 1990 to 1992 as Manager. Ms. Kjølås has board experience from several companies, including Cermaq ASA, DOF ASA, Grieg Group Resources AS, O.Kavli AS and Q-Meieriene AS. She is also member of the Corporate Council of Vesta Insurance AS and the General Assembly of Sparebankstiftelsen DnBNor.
Daniel J. Piette
Board member (elected 2007)
Mr. Piette is currently working as CEO in Open Spirit Corporation. Open Spirit Corporation is an independent software company focused on providing integration solutions for upstream applications and data to E&P companies. Mr. Piette has a BS in Mining Engineering with Honors from the University of Wisconsin. Before joining Open Spirit Corporation in 2003 Mr. Piette was a Business Unit Manager at Input/Output, running the Land Data Acquisition Systems group in 2002 and 2003. From 2001 he worked as COO for S/N Technologies which was acquired by Input/Output in 2002. In the period 2000 to 2001 he ran his own consulting business out of Houston. In 1996, he joined Bell Geospace, a venture funded start-up that used military technology to collect gravity gradient data for natural resource exploration, as VP of Sales and Marketing. He was appointed President and CEO in 1999. He worked for Landmark Graphics from 1989 to 1996 holding several positions, lastly as Vice President and General Manager of the Asia Pacific region, based in Singapore. Before this he has also held numerous positions with Terra-Mar, DPC&A and Exxon Company USA.
Annette Malm Justad
Board member (elected 2008)
Ms. Malm Justad is currently working as CEO in Eitzen Maritime Services. Prior to this, she was Vice President and Head of Purchasing at Yara International ASA, Vice President and Fleet Manager at Norgas Carriers AS and has held various technical and commercial positions for Norsk Hydro ASA. Ms. Malm Justad holds a Master's degree in Technology Management from MIT/NTH, as well as a Master's degree in Chemical engineering from NTH. She serves on the board of Camillo Eitzen & co ASA and Aker American Shipping ASA.
Carol Bell
Board member (elected 2009)
Dr Carol Bell has over 25 years' experience in the oil and gas sector, paticularly its investment and finance. Currently she acts as Senior Advisor on Oil & Gas to Europa Partners, a corporate finance advisory firm; non-executive director of Hardy Oil and Gas plc.; a member of the Investment Advisory Committee of Gemini Oil and Gas (a private investment fund). she is also Chair of the Investment Committee of Girton College, Cambridge; and Group Chairman of Barcud Derwen, the UK's largest television and film facilities company outside London.
Previously she held the position of Managing Director of Chase Manhattan’s Investment Bank with responsibility for oil and gas, and she was the Global Head of J.P. Morgan’s Energy team in Equity Research. Dr Bell began her career in corporate planning and development with RTZ Oil and Gas and subsequently worked with Charterhouse Petroleum plc. She was awarded a PhD in May 2005 on the evolution of economic and trade relations in the Ancient Eastern Mediterranean across the Late Bronze/Iron Age transition, and published a book on this thesis in 2006. Dr. Bell is Honorary Treasurer of the British School at Athens. By education Carol Bell is a scientist. She holds an MA in Biochemistry from Cambridge, a BA in Geology from the Open University and a PhD in Archaeology from University College, London.
Ingar Skaug
Board member (elected 2009)
Mr Skaug is Group CEO, of Wilh. Wilhelmsen ASA, Norway. He has filled various senior management positions within the Wilhelmsen group since 1990. Previously, Mr Skaug enjoyed a long and successful career in the airline business, especially at SAS Airlines, where he became VP and deputy Chief Operating Officer. He holds a number of non-executive board positions within the Wilhelmsen system and externally is a member of the boards of DFDS AS, Miros, Berg-Hansen, Notraship, DNV, and GARD P& I. In addition, he is Chair of the Center for Creative Leadership and also of Bery Maritime; and Vice Chairman of J. Lauritzen AS. Mr Skaug has a Masters degree in business administration, from the University of Nürnberg, Germany
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