News & Media

CleanTech Lithium PLC (AIM:CTL, Frankfurt:T2N, OTC:CTLHF), an exploration and development company advancing next-generation sustainable lithium projects in Chile for the EV transition, announces the appointment of an Australian-based Independent Non-Executive Director and other changes to the Board and Board Committees structures with immediate effect.

·   Tommy McKeith, based in Perth, Australia, appointed as an additional independent Non-Executive Director (‘NED’) with immediate effect ahead of the Company’s planned listing on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) in Q3 2023

·   Jonathan Morley-Kirk becoming Senior Independent Non-Executive Director, previously Non-Executive Director, following Dr. Steve Kesler’s moving to the Executive Chairman position earlier this year

Preng & Associates assisted in the search.

Appointment of an Australian-based Independent Non-Executive Director:

Mr McKeith is an experienced public company director and geologist with over 30 years of mining company leadership, corporate development, project development and exploration experience. He’s held roles in an international mining company and across several ASX listed mining companies. Mr McKeith currently serves as Non-Executive Director of Evolution Mining Limited and as Non-Executive Chairman of Arrow Minerals Limited. Having worked in bulk, base and precious metals across numerous jurisdictions, including operations in Canada, Africa, South America and Australia, Mr McKeith brings strategic insights to CTL with a strong focus on value creation that will support the leadership of the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, Aldo Boitano, alongside Dr. Kesler as Executive Chairman.  Mr McKeith holds a B.Sc (Geology), a Graduate Diploma in Engineering and an MBA (all from University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa).  He has also been a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy since 2009.    

 Other Board Structure Changes:

Jonathan Morley-Kirk has become Senior Independent Non-Executive Director following Dr. Steve Kesler’s moving to the Executive Chairman position earlier this year. This decision has been made to continue the open dialogue with shareholders and offer an alternative point of contact for investors and the Company. Jonathan Morley-Kirk will play a more active role in nurturing these relationships should shareholders have any concerns, while continuing to work closely with the executive team.  

Steve Kesler, Executive Chairman of CleanTech Lithium, said:

“Tommy McKeith has considerable Board experience in Australia and a wealth of knowledge, including developing and operating mining projects around the world, including Chile, and as our Australian resident Independent Non-Executive Director will greatly help the Company gain the most it can from the planned listing on the ASX.

 “I am delighted that he is joining our Board as we look to expand our reach into the Australian market, which has an established reputation for supporting junior mining companies and where we already have a strong shareholder base.

 “The appointment of Tommy, alongside the other changes to the Board, will also help us deliver on our aim to become a material supplier of green lithium to the global EV market and grow the value of the Company, as we progress the next phase of our development, including the construction of a DLE pilot plant, updating our lithium resources and concluding the scoping study at Fransisco Basin and the PFS at Laguna Verde.”

Tommy McKeith, Non-Executive Director of CleanTech Lithium, said:

“The significant progress that’s already been made at CleanTech Lithium, combined with the capabilities and skills of the Company’s senior management team and partners, was a great attraction and the reason I was delighted to be asked to join the Board. As we prepare to list on the ASX, having a presence here in Australia will bring new opportunities for CTL as we advance towards commercial production. It is a jurisdiction that values the vital role mining and the commodities industries play in providing the materials to develop our global economies.  I look forward to opening doors for CTL in Australia through my strong network of investors, banks and various other stakeholders.

“Lithium is experiencing unprecedented demand, largely driven by the transition to decarbonise transport through electrification. CTL’s proposition of green lithium via sustainable extraction methods excites me and I am looking forward to be part of the team who will strive to deliver this.”

Board Composition

With the appointment of Mr McKeith, the Company’s Board is now made up of 6 directors as follows:

·      Executive Chairman – Steve Kesler

·      CEO – Aldo Boitano

·      CFO – Gordon Stein

·      Senior Independent Non-Executive Director – Jonathan Morley-Kirk

·      Independent Non-Executive Director – Maha Daoudi

·      Independent Non-Executive Director – Tommy McKeith

The Company’s Board now comprises three Executive Directors and three Independent Non-Executive Directors, in full compliance with the QCA Code on Board composition, as referred to in the Company’s recently released Annual Report & Financial Statement for 2022.

Board Committees:

The Board has made the following changes to the Board Committee structure to better reflect the Directors’ skills:

·      Tommy McKeith will become a member of the Audit Committee, with Jonathan-Morley Kirk remaining as Chairman.

·      Tommy McKeith will chair the Remuneration Committee, with Maha Daoudi as the other member.

·      Maha Daoudi will chair the newly created ESG Committee, with Jonathan Morley-Kirk and Aldo Boitano as the other members. 

About CleanTech Lithium

CleanTech Lithium (AIM:CTL, Frankfurt:T2N, OTC:CTLHF) is an exploration and development company, advancing the next generation of sustainable lithium projects in Chile.  The Company’s mission is to produce material quantities of battery grade lithium by 2026, with near zero carbon emissions and low environmental impact, offering the EV market a green lithium supply solution.

CleanTech Lithium has three prospective lithium projects – Laguna Verde, Francisco Basin, and Llamara – located in the lithium triangle, the world’s centre for battery grade lithium production. They are situated within basins entirely controlled by the Company, which affords significant potential development and operational advantages. The projects have direct access to excellent infrastructure and renewable power.

CleanTech Lithium is committed to using renewable power for processing and reducing the environmental impact of its lithium production by utilising Direct Lithium Extraction. Direct Lithium Extraction is a transformative technology which only removes lithium from brine, with higher recoveries and purities. The method offers short development lead times, low upfront capex, with no extensive site construction and no evaporation pond development so there is no water depletion from the aquifer or harm to the local environment.

 Source Link: https://polaris.brighterir.com/public/cleantech_lithium/news/xml_rns/story/rnkn4pr

Mark Zajac has been appointed Chief Financial Officer of U.S. Energy Corp.(NasdaqCM:USEG), effective June 1, 2023. Mr. Zajac brings 30 years of leadership experience across energy and finance, primarily as a Partner and national industry leader with KPMG. Preng & Associates assisted in this search.

After starting his career at Arthur Andersen in 1994, Mr. Zajac went on to join KPMG, where he served as a partner and national industry leader before retiring. Throughout his career, he has worked with diverse public and private companies operating in the energy sector, including exploration and production, master limited partnerships, trading and marketing, independent power sectors, and Special Purpose Acquisition Companies. He has gained extensive expertise in areas such as securities and exchange offerings, mergers and acquisitions, and global accounts. Mr. Zajac’s professional journey has exposed him to a range of business experiences, including compliance with PCAOB requirements, involvement in IPOs, staying updated on emerging accounting and industry perspectives, conducting internal control effectiveness assessments, facilitating security offerings, and adhering to various rules and regulations set by the Securities and Exchange Commission. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration and a Master of Business Administration from Texas Tech University and is a licensed Texas Certified Public Accountant.

Jeanine Wai is appointed Vice President Investor Relations for North America of TotalEnergies, effective June 1, 2023. She replaces Robert Hammond who elected to retire from the Company. Preng & Associates assisted in this search.

Jeanine Wai began her career in 2001 with Chevron as a process engineer in Downstream specializing in hydrocracking and base oils. From 2009, she alternatively held corporate, buy-side and sell-side positions, including Oil & Gas financial analysis and M&A at Bechtel, as an Exploration & Production analyst at Nexus Asset Management, and 13 years of Upstream Oil & Gas equity research at JPMorgan, Citi, and most recently as the Senior US Integrated Oil and Exploration & Production analyst at Barclays since 2018.

Jeanine Wai is graduated with honors with a B.S in Chemical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley and holds an M.B.A from the MIT Sloan School of Management.

Link Source: https://totalenergies.com/media/news/press-releases/jeanine-wai-appointed-vice-president-investor-relations-north-america

PetroTal Corp. (TSX: TAL) (AIM: PTAL) (OTCQX: PTALF) (“PetroTal” or the “Company“) announces the appointment of José L Contreras as Senior Vice President, Operations effective May 1, 2023. Preng & Associates assisted in this search.

Mr. Contreras is an executive in the international oil and gas industry with over 25 years of experience and a successful track record managing large and complex field and technical upstream operations for various sized energy companies.

Since 2017, Mr. Contreras has held various executive roles ranging from guiding international safety, security, and sustainability performance for projects and drilling; ensuring safe and efficient upstream and midstream onshore operations in the U.S. while implementing bottom line improvement programs; to managing low carbon (blue) ammonia/hydrogen new value chain opportunities.

Mr. Contreras holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the Universidad Central de Venezuela and a Master of Science in Petroleum Engineering and Project Development from the Institut Français du Pétrole.

PSU grants

PetroTal has granted 760,111 Performance Share Unit (‘PSUs”) to Mr. Contreras, which will vest three years from the date of grant with each PSU entitling the holder to acquire, for nil cost, between zero and two common shares of the Company, subject to achievement, as evaluated by the Corporate Governance and Compensation Committee, of 2023 Key Performance Indicators relating to the Company’s total shareholder return, net asset value and certain production and operational milestones.

Manuel Pablo Zuniga-Pflucker, President and Chief Executive Officer, commented:

“On behalf of the management team and board we want to extend a warm welcome to Mr. Contreras. José has a very impressive background in energy and complements our existing leadership team extremely well. José is based in the Houston area and will be integral to building out future operating and development plans with the team in Lima and Houston.”

ABOUT PETROTAL

PetroTal is a publicly traded, tri‐quoted (TSX: TAL) (AIM: PTAL) (OTCQX: PTALF) oil and gas development and production Company domiciled in Calgary, Alberta, focused on the development of oil assets in Peru. PetroTal’s flagship asset is its 100% working interest in Bretana oil field in Peru’s Block 95 where oil production was initiated in June 2018. In early 2022, PetroTal became the largest crude oil producer in Peru. The Company’s management team has significant experience in developing and exploring for oil in Peru and is led by a Board of Directors that is focused on safely and cost effectively developing the Bretana oil field. It is actively building new initiatives to champion community sensitive energy production, benefiting all stakeholders.

For further information, please see the Company’s website at www.petrotal-corp.com, the Company’s filed documents at www.sedar.com, or below:

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/164402

Unitil Corporation (NYSE:UTL) today announced that at its 2023 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, Anne L. Alonzo was elected as a new member of the Board of Directors for an initial term of two years. Preng & Associates assisted in this search.

Anne Alonzo served as a C-Suite executive and chief sustainability officer at Corteva Agriscience (“Corteva”), a publicly traded agricultural chemical and seed company, until August 2021. Prior to joining Corteva, Ms. Alonzo served as the president and chief executive officer and a member of the Board Executive Committee of the American Egg Board, and in various senior leadership positions at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Marketing Service and Kraft Foods, Inc. (now Mondelez International, Inc.).

Ms. Alonzo presently serves on the Board of Directors of PotlatchDeltic Corporation, a leading timberland real estate investment trust company, as a Trustee of the Pan American Development Foundation, an NGO focused on vulnerable populations across Latin America/Caribbean, and as a Board member of Feeding America, the largest charity in the United States. Ms. Alonzo also provides advisory services to various firms on climate change and regenerative agriculture.

Ms. Alonzo earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of Chicago, and a Juris Doctor from the Illinois Institute of Technology, Kent College of Law. Ms. Alonzo is also a member of the Latino Corporate Directors Association, the National Association of Corporate Directors and the Women’s Business Collaborative.

“We are delighted that Anne Alonzo has been elected to the Unitil Board,” said Thomas P. Meissner, Jr., Unitil’s chairman, chief executive officer and president. “Anne is a proven leader with an exceptional background in environmental sustainability, regulatory, public policy, marketing, legal expertise and ESG that will enhance and preserve the Board’s existing strong skill set.”

About Unitil Corporation
Unitil Corporation provides energy for life by safely and reliably delivering natural gas and electricity in New England. We are committed to the communities we serve and to developing people, business practices, and technologies that lead to the delivery of dependable, more efficient energy. Unitil Corporation is a public utility holding company with operations in Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Together, Unitil’s operating utilities serve approximately 108,100 electric customers and 87,500 natural gas customers. For more information about our people, technologies, and community involvement please visit unitil.com.

For more information please contact:

Todd Diggins – Investor Relations
Phone: 603-773-6504
Email: diggins@unitil.com

Alec O’Meara – Media Relations
Phone: 603-773-6404
Email: omeara@unitil.com

Source Link: https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2023/04/26/2655711/0/en/Unitil-Shareholders-Elect-Anne-L-Alonzo-to-the-Board-of-Directors.html

Flotek Industries, Inc. (NYSE: FTK), a leader in technology-driven specialty green chemistry solutions, yesterday announced the appointment of Mr. Bond Clement to the role of Chief Financial Officer. Preng & Associates assisted in this search.

Mr. Clement began his career in 1993 within Arthur Andersen’s assurance services group focused primarily on energy related clients. He has more than 25 years of financial and accounting experience within the energy sector. Mr. Clement served for 17 years with PetroQuest Energy Inc., which was a publicly traded exploration and production company with oil and natural gas assets located in multiple basins throughout the U.S. His various financial and accounting related management roles at PetroQuest included 12 years as the Company’s Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Clement received a B.S. degree in Accounting, Cum Laude, from Louisiana State University and is a Certified Public Accountant (inactive). Mr. Clement serves on the Board of New Hope Community Development of Acadiana, an organization dedicated to breaking the generational cycle of poverty through educational initiatives.

John W. Gibson, Jr., Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Flotek said “We are excited to welcome Bond Clement to Flotek. We believe the combination of his deep energy industry expertise and a proven track record as a public company CFO positions him to immediately add value as we transition into a profitable, cash generative company.”

Mr. Clement commented, “I am thrilled for the opportunity to join the Flotek team at such a transformational period in the Company’s history. I look forward to augmenting the Company’s already strong focus on achieving profitability across the enterprise, which will ultimately be the driving force behind shareholder value creation.”

Flotek Industries, Inc. creates solutions to reduce the environmental impact of energy on air, water, land and people.  A technology-driven, specialty green chemistry and data company, Flotek helps customers across industrial, commercial, and consumer markets improve their Environmental, Social, and Governance performance. Flotek’s Chemistry Technologies segment develops, manufactures, packages, distributes, delivers, and markets high-quality cleaning, disinfecting and sanitizing products for commercial, governmental and personal consumer use.  Additionally, Flotek empowers the energy industry to maximize the value of their hydrocarbon streams and improve return on invested capital through its real-time data platforms and green chemistry technologies.  Flotek serves downstream, midstream, and upstream customers, both domestic and international.  Flotek is a publicly traded company headquartered in Houston, Texas, and its common shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “FTK.”  For additional information, please visit www.flotekind.com.

Source Link: https://www.flotekind.com/index.php/investor-relations/item/1382-flotek-appoints-bond-clement-to-role-of-chief-financial-officer

Jozsef Marton, one of our London Consultants, attended African Energy Week (AEW) where he was on a panel focused on executive leadership and corporate succession planning.

AEW is the African Energy Chamber’s annual event, uniting African energy leaders, global investors and executives from across the public and private sector for four days of intense dialogue on the future of the African energy industry. An interactive conference, exhibition and networking event, AEW was established in 2021 under the premise to make energy poverty history by 2030, hosting panel discussions, investor forums, industry summits and one-on-one meeting opportunities, and driving the discussions that will reshape the trajectory of the continent’s energy development.

The panel consisted of (from left to right) Elizabeth Rogo, Founder & CEO, TSAVO Oilfield Services, Ezekiel Adesina, Executive Secretary, Africa Energy Study Group, Jozsef Marton, Consultant, Preng & Associates. Dr. Odette Delbrah, CEO, Gabon Oil, Dr. Ben Asnate, CEO, Ghana Gas, and Eric Williams, President & Principal Consultant, Royal Triangle Energy Solutions. Jozsef shared with the audience his perspective on how Africa-focused energy companies can better tackle the challenges ahead and ensure successful succession planning in the future by recruiting locally and from outside the energy sector.

If you would like to discuss how Preng & Associates can help you recruit more effectively in Africa, please contact Jozsef Marton.

Occidental Petroleum Corporation NYSE:OXY (“Oxy”) has announced that Sylvia Kerrigan is joining the company as Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Officer. Preng & Associates assisted in this search.

Ms. Kerrigan has over a decade of boardroom experience as a director and executive for the industrial, transportation and energy sectors. In addition to her executive roles at various capital-intensive enterprises, Ms. Kerrigan’s board experience includes environmental, social and governance (ESG), regulatory, risk management, cybersecurity and information privacy matters.

Ms. Kerrigan’s prior experience includes her role as Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at Marathon Oil Corporation. While at Marathon, she sat on the Executive Committee and was responsible for state, federal and international public policy matters, legal and compliance functions, and external communications. She was central to the company’s corporate positioning, including a spin-off of the refining, transportation and retail assets in 2011, and a subsequent recasting of corporate culture and capital allocation.

Ms. Kerrigan’s prior experience also includes her role as Executive Director at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Energy Center for Business, Law and Policy at the University of Texas, and an appointment to the United Nations Security Council’s Commission d’Indemnisation in Geneva, Switzerland, where she led an interdisciplinary team responsible for evaluating material losses sustained by international companies operating in the Middle East.

Ms. Kerrigan currently serves on the Board of Directors of Diversified Energy Company (LSE: DEC) and Hornbeck Marine Offshore Services, a privately held company based in Covington, Louisiana. She continues to serve on the Executive Council of the KBH Center and as Vice-Chair of the Southwestern University Board of Trustees.

Oxy produces energy and essential products to sustain and improve life on our planet. Their experienced teams, located in the United States, Middle East, Africa and Latin America, are committed to safe and efficient operations and products, and to reducing our carbon footprint and helping others do the same.

Oxy operates world-class energy and chemical assets around the globe, including in the United States, Middle East, Africa and Latin America. Over their 100-year history, they have built a vast infrastructure of integrated operations around the world that deliver reliable energy and essential products. For information about Oxy, please visit: https://www.oxy.com/

Source Link: https://occidentalpetroleum.gcs-web.com/static-files/3429e4be-9611-4107-a232-dc32e0d51c7e

Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc. (“Helix”) (NYSE: HLX) announced today that its Board of Directors (the “Board”) has appointed Diana Glassman  as a new director.

Preng & Associates assisted in this search.

William L. Transier, Chairman of the Board, stated, “We are pleased to welcome both Diana and Paula to the Helix Board of Directors. The wealth of experience our two new Board members have will bring valuable perspectives to our Board. Helix remains committed to board refreshment and diversity initiatives, and the appointments of our new directors are the result of an extensive search process that began months ago. The additions of Diana and Paula to the Helix Board are designed to ensure we have the right mix of diverse skills and experience to execute our strategy and reflect the views of Helix’s shareholders, employees and customers.”

Ms. Glassman, 55, since December 2019 has been Director-Engagement at EOS at Federated Hermes, a leader in the evolving field of responsible investing, leading their Oil & Gas and co-leading their Technology sector engagements and spearheading engagement on diversity, equity and inclusion with a focus on business strategy, capital allocation and ESG considerations. Ms. Glassman sits on Federated Hermes Limited’s Inclusion Committee and is Chair of its employee networks. Between July 2014 and December 2019 Ms. Glassman was Chief Executive Officer of Integration Strategy, Inc., a strategy consulting firm advising leaders of companies, private equity firms and government entities primarily in energy and infrastructure, and previously held positions of increasing responsibility at TD Bank Group, Credit Suisse and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Ms. Glassman holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology, magna cum laude and with Distinction in the major, from Yale University, an M.P.A. in International Development from Harvard Kennedy School, and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

Ms. Glassman will serve as a Class II director whose term will expire at Helix’s 2024 Annual Meeting of Shareholders. Ms. Glassman also was appointed by the Board to serve on the Board’s Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee.

About Helix

Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc., headquartered in Houston, Texas, is an international offshore energy services company that provides specialty services to the offshore energy industry, with a focus on well intervention and robotics operations. For more information about Helix, please visit their website at www.helixesg.com

Source Link: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220926005766/en/Helix-Appoints-Diana-Glassman-and-Paula-Harris-as-New-Directors

Cedarburg Light & Water Utility has formally appointed Ben D. Collins as General Manager.

The Preng & Associates Power and Utility team was instrumental in the placing of Mr. Collins.

Mr. Collins has spent the past 15 years in the power and utilities sector, most recently working at the Marquette Board of Light and Power as a Manager of Utility Planning and Projects. Mr. Collins led the growth of a Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency business creating opportunities for customers to reach their green goals while also becoming more sustainable and lowering their total cost of doing business.

Mr. Collins has a B.S. in Electrical and Electronic Engineering specializing in power and energy systems from Michigan Technological University and an M.B.A. from Northern Michigan University.

Cedarburg Light & Water Utility is a non-profit public power utility. They are dedicate to meeting their customers’ needs while helping to make the community a better place to live and work. They are one of the country’s 2,200 public power systems – a utility owned by the community it serves. They exist to provide a public service to the residents and businesses of their community.

Source link: https://www.ci.cedarburg.wi.us/light-water-commission/agenda/light-water-commission-agenda-30