David Hobbs
Executive Chairman
David Hobbs graduated as a Petroleum Engineer from Imperial College in 1984, initially working at British Gas as a drilling engineer before moving into commercial and business development roles at Monument Oil & Gas and Hardy Oil and Gas, two UK listed international independent E&P companies. He joined Cambridge Energy Research Associates (CERA), now part of S&P Global, ending up as Chief Energy Strategist, advising Government officials, senior executives and Boards of Directors across the energy sector. He also spent six years as part of the leadership team establishing the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. David is an adjunct professor at the University of Calgary, a senior Non-Resident Fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Center and is Chairman of Proton Green, a US based helium, food grade CO2 and carbon sequestration company.
David is Chair of the Nominations Committee and a member of the Finance, Audit and Risk Committee, Remuneration Committee, Conflicts Committee and Anti-Corruption & Bribery Committee.
John (Jay) Cheatham
Chief Executive Officer
Jay Cheatham has over 45 years' experience in all aspects of the petroleum business. He has extensive international experience in both oil and natural gas, primarily for ARCO where he held a series of senior appointments. These include Senior Vice President and District Manager (ARCO eastern District) with direct responsibility for Gulf Coast US operations and exploration and President of ARCO International, where he had responsibility for all exploration and production outside the USA. Jay's most recent appointment was as President and CEO of Rolls-Royce Power Ventures, where he had the key responsibility for restructuring the company.
Jay also has considerable financial skills in addition to his corporate and operational expertise. He acted as Chief Financial Officer for ARCO's US oil and natural gas company (ARCO Oil & Gas). Moreover, he has an understanding of the capital markets through his past position as CEO of the Petrogen Fund, a private equity fund.
Jay is a member of the Finance, Audit and Risk Committee, Remuneration Committee, Nominations Committee, Conflicts Committee and Anti-Corruption & Bribery Committee.
Robert (Bob) Rosenthal
Technical Director
Bob Rosenthal has over 40 years' experience in the oil and gas industry globally as an Exploration Geologist and Geophysicist. He has held various senior exploration positions and spent a large part of his career at Exxon and at BP, where he gained key relevant regional experience in the geology of North Slope of Alaska and of Texas. Since 1999, Bob has run his own successful consulting business and has led the exportation efforts of a number of private and public companies.
Bob is a member of the Finance, Audit and Risk Committee, Remuneration Committee, Nominations Committee, Conflicts Committee and Anti-Corruption & Bribery Committee.
Jeremy Brest
Non-Executive Director
Jeremy Brest has more than 20 years’ experience in investment banking and financial advisory. Jeremy is the founder of Framework Capital Solutions, a boutique Singapore-based advisory firm specialized in structuring and execution of private transactions. Prior to founding Framework, Jeremy was the head of structuring for Indonesia at Credit Suisse and a derivatives trader at Goldman Sachs. Jeremy is also a non-executive director of Conrad Asia Energy Ltd, an energy company focused on natural gas in the shallow waters offshore Indonesia.
Jeremy is Chair of the Remuneration Committee and a member of the Finance, Audit and Risk Committee, Nominations Committee, Conflicts Committee and Anti-Corruption & Bribery Committee.
Allegra Hosford Scheirer
Non-Executive Director
Allegra Hosford Scheirer is a recognized expert in petroleum system analysis. Her degrees are from Brown University (B.S., geology-physics/math) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Ph.D., marine geology and geophysics). Following a postdoctoral position at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, she spent 6.5 years at the U.S. Geological Survey as a member of the Geophysical Unit of Menlo Park and the Energy Resources Program, where she contributed to petroleum resource assessments of sedimentary basins. For the past 15 years, she has been a co-director of the Basin Processes and Subsurface Modelling consortium at Stanford University, where she also teaches and advises graduate students. She also maintains a consulting company for working with private clients on exploration programs, short courses, and petroleum-focused field trips. Allegra is passionate about sustainability initiatives, including carbon capture and storage and geologic hydrogen.
Allegra is Chair of Conflicts Committee and a member of the Finance, Audit and Risk Committee, Remuneration Committee, Nominations Committee, and Anti-Corruption & Bribery Committee.
Linda Havard
Non-Executive Director
Linda Havard has more than 35 years’ experience as a financial and operating executive in public oil and gas and entertainment companies as well as professional services firms. She most recently served as Chief Financial Officer of Gensler, the world's largest architecture and design firm. Previously, she served for six years as Chief Financial Officer at the global law firm of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, 13 years as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Playboy Enterprises and 15 years at ARCO (now BP Amoco), where she headed Corporate Planning and Investor Relations, among other senior positions.
Linda holds an MBA in Finance from the University of California at Los Angeles and a PhD (honoris causa) in Business from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. She is a member of the Atlanta Federal Reserve Board CFO Panel, the International Women's Forum, and the Governing Body of the CFO Executive Summit.
Linda is Chair of the Finance, Audit and Risk Committee and a member of the Remuneration, Nominations, Conflicts and Anti-Corruption & Bribery Committees.