Energy and Corporate Africa

News, Analysis, Views, Commentary and Strategic Reports
on Energy, Human Development & Corporate Affairs in Africa

Chief Tunde J. Afolabi
Managing Director/CEO
Amni International Petroleum
Nigeria

Tunde Afolabi is the founding Managing Director of Amni International Petroleum Development Company. Tunde is a professional Geologist with over 30 years of oil and gas exploration and production experience from international companies. He is a member of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG), a past President of the Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE) and a council member of the Nigerian Association of Indigenous Production and Exploration Companies (NAIPEC).

Dr. Glenn Koller
Author & Risk Management
Advisor
Schlumberger, Houston

Dr. Glenn Koller received his Ph.D. in geochemistry/geophysics from Syracuse University. Glenn currently is a Risk Advisor for Schlumberger Inc. In his career Glenn has also held positions with the Department of Energy, DuPont, Amoco, and BP. Glenn’s primary focus for the past 20 years has been on aspects of risk-and-uncertainty analysis, management, and training. Responsibilities included implementation of risk-assessment/management technologies and processes; development of statistical routines that comprise risk systems; marketing risk technology; and performing technical and consulting services. Areas of responsibility include business and product development, environmental concerns, ranking and prioritization of projects and products, analysis of legal commercial, security, logistical, financial etc. scenarios and other aspects of a diversified business. Glenn has authored four books on risk/uncertainty and currently resides in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Dr. James Spear
Executive Officer
Hyperdynamics

Dr. Spear joined Hyperdynamics in November 2007 as Vice President and Chief Geophysicist. He subsequently became an Executive Officer on March 2008.Being adept at prospecting, Mr. Spear has led teams or been a key team member responsible for drilling 512 successful wells over his working career including both exploration and development wells. He has shelf and deepwater Gulf of Mexico experience and Deep Shelf experience GOM. His international experience includes Latin America (Mexico, Central America, Northern South America, Gulf of Paria, offshore Trinidad, Columbus Basin offshore Trinidad, Sub-Andean basins, offshore Brazil, and offshore Argentina (Malvinas Basin and Falkland Islands), Russian Federation, Southeast Asia, Africa and North Africa (Sirte Basin, Libya, Western Desert of Egypt and Muglad Basin, Sudan), Dubai, UAE, West Africa (Ivory Coast, Nigeria -Mobil Nigeria/Shell Nigeria) and Europe (Spain, UK onshore and offshore North Sea).

Dr. Spear is Experienced in some 42 global basins, inclusive of Malaysia, Philippine Islands, Bohai Gulf, Pearl River Basin, Palawan Islands, Northwest Shelf of Australia, Sumatra (Mobil Oil- Indonesia), onshore basins of Australia, New Zealand, and South China Sea offshore of Republic of Vietnam predominately in the Gulf Coast region of Texas, Louisiana, and the Gulf of Mexico. Recent international experience includes Trinidad, Mexico and offshore Nigeria. James is an expert on Landmark workstations and proficient on Geoquest IESX and Charisma workstations/SMT.

Graham Milne
Business Development Manager
Schlumberger, London.

Graham Milne holds a B.Sc in Earth Sciences and a P.Dip in Geostatistics both from Kingston University, London (1980 and 1985 respectively). He has 28 years experience in the oil industry with Schlumberger in areas such as seismic acquisition, seismic data processing, interpretation, field evaluations, data rooms and project management. Graham has nearly 10 years experience of Caspian projects, majority of which is within Turkmenistan. His specialty lies within the Turkmenistan offshore licensed areas and the West Turkmen basin. Graham also has extensive experience of North African projects, majority of which is within Algeria & Libya. He has project managed exploration studies in Russia, London, Algeria, Libya and Turkmenistan. He has just taken on a new global role as a BDM for a new exploration division within Schlumberger. He is a member of the Petroleum Exploration Society of Great Britain and a keen angler!

Sebastian Spio-Garbrah
Senior Analyst
Eurasia Group

Sebastian Spio-Garbrah co-leads Eurasia Group's Sub-Saharan research within the Middle East and Africa practice group. In 2005 he served as an informal advisor to former UK Treasury Minister and UK High Commissioner to South Africa, Hon. Paul Boateng, to examine ways of helping reduce perceptions of political risk in Africa during preparations for the launch of the Blair Commission Report on Africa. Sebastian is also the Citigroup Eurasia Group Stability Index (DESIX) Analyst for Nigeria and was voted among the “Top 30 Under 30 Analysts” in 2006 by New York’s Institutional Investor Magazine. Mr. Spio-Garbrah has conducted extensive political research on West Africa for the Felix Rohatyn Geonomics Institute for International Affairs affiliated with Middlebury College, has interned on the US Senate Judiciary Committee, Senate sub-committee on Foreign Appropriations and for Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont. Sebastian is a double major in Political Science and Economics from Middlebury College (VT) and holds a Juris Doctor (JD) degree in law at Rutgers University in New Jersey.

Sebastian hails from West Africa, is fluent in several African languages, has a working knowledge of French and has lived in several African countries.

Steve Crower
Principal
Starlight Investment

Mr. Crower has been providing investment banking and strategic advisory services to the energy industry for over six years. At Capital One Southcoast, Inc (NYSE:COF) in New Orleans, LA, Mr. Crower completed $4.7 billion in public equity (IPO’s and follow-on offerings) and advised clients in over $100 million in refining and oilfield service M&A assignments. While at Starlight Investments, Mr. Crower has expanded into alternative energy industries focusing on Wind Power technology and biofuels.

Mr. Crower’s oilfield experience includes Network International where he helped to raise $54 million in private equity funding to start a new business that uses Internet auctions to dispose of surplus oilfield equipment. He grew the business from 0 – $6 million in 3 years; the business is still growing and operating profitably.

W. Russell Scheirman
President/COO
VAALCO Energy

In October of 2008, Mr. Scheirman was appointed Chief Operation Officer following his overseeing of the planning, fabrication, and installation of the Avouma Field and Ebouri Field production platforms offshore Gabon. Mr. Scheirman continues to serve as President of VAALCO Energy, Inc., a position held since 1992. Mr. Scheirman served as Chief Financial Officer from 1991 to 2008. From 1991 to 1992, Mr. Scheirman served as Executive Vice President of the Company. Prior to joining VAALCO Energy, Inc., Mr. Scheirman was an Associate at McKinsey & Company, Inc. from 1989 to 1991, an investment banker with Copeland, Wickersham and Wiley from 1984 to 1989, and a Petroleum Reservoir Engineer for Exxon Company, U.S.A. from 1978 to 1984. Mr. Scheirman holds a B.S. (Summa Cum Laude) and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Duke University (1977 and 1978, respectively) and an M.B.A. from California Lutheran University (1984).

Simon Ashby-Rudd
Managing Director Investment Banking
Tristone Capital
London

Mr. Ashby-Rudd joined Tristone Capital in September 2005 as Executive Managing Director of International Operations. Prior to joining Tristone, Mr Ashby-Rudd managed the London operations of Waterous & Co between 2002 and 2005 and was responsible for expanding the business threefold over this time period. Before joining Waterous, Mr Ashby-Rudd spent 12 years working in Energy investment Banking, initially for Dresdner Kleinwort Benson and then at Citigroup. Mr Ashby-Rudd has focused throughout his career on the international E&P sector and has significant international experience having worked in Russia, Eastern Europe, the Far East and North America. During this time he has lived in Hong Kong, Australia and the USA which has provided him with a unique insight into the international E&P sector and a diverse international contact base.

Eamon Labode Akinosho
Chief Operating Officer &
Executive Director
Oando plc Nigeria

Presently the Chief Director for the upstream subsidiary of Oando plc., Nigeria's largest energy group. His main responsibility is the monetization of all assets in the current portfolio. His prior experience includes 8 years at Anadarko Petroleum where he ranged from production engineer to reservoir engineer and Head of Production for their Algerian field (Hassi Berkine North Field) seeing production to 300,000 bopd; and 5 years at BP/Amoco UK where he ranged from operations engineer to well operations engineer in charge of all the Southern North Sea Wells Labode holds an M.Sc in Petroleum Engineering from Imperial College, University Of London as well as an M.Sc in Offshore Engineering from Robert Gordon University Aberdeen. He also posses a Diploma in Business Administration from Edinburgh Business School Heriot Watt University Scotland.

Dr. Keith Millheim
President
Strategic Worldwide LLC

Dr. Keith Millheim received a Ph.D in Mining from the University of Loeben in 1992 and a M.Sc in Petroleum Engineering the University of Oaklohama in 1964 and a B.Sc in Petroleum Engineering from Marietta University in 1963. Keith is a member of the U.S. Engineering Academy.

Millheim is currently the president of Strategic Worldwide LLC, a company that provides advisory services to international oil and gas companies on new innovative ways for oil and gas exploration and production. Strategic Worldwide is now focusing on innovative ways to reduce costs for oil and gas exploration and development in the Arctic areas of the world and in deep water. Dr. Millheim retired as a Distinguished Advisor for Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, the highest technical position in the company. Before this position, he was the company’s chief engineer for technology. Dr. Millheim has developed many innovative technologies in drilling.

Scott Schwind
Partner
Fulbright & Jaworski

Scott advises foreign and domestic companies and individuals who are doing business globally, with a special emphasis on upstream, midstream and downstream oil and gas transactions.

Scott's practice includes: counseling regarding oil and gas exploration and production projects, including concessions, production sharing contracts, operating agreements, participation agreement, participation agreements, farm-in arrangements and drilling contracts; coordinating foreign and domestic acquisitions and divestitures of oil and gas producing properties and infrastructure; negotiating oil and gas transportation and processing arrangements, including crude oil and natural gas pipelines, lifting arrangements, fractionation and storage projects; structuring crude oil processing agreements and petrochemical facilities; and advising clients on domestic and international financing and security arrangements.

Having spent several years with a law firm in São Paulo, Brazil, Scott has unique experience in assisting clients in commercial transactions throughout Latin America. Scott also devotes much of his practice to transactions in Africa.

Scott is fluent in French, Portuguese and Spanish.

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND
1996 - J.D., The University of Texas
1993 - B.A., cum laude, Hampden-Sydney College
1994 - Program of Studies in Brazilian Law, Faculdade de Direito da Universidade de São Paulo
While at The University of Texas, he was an Articles and Notes Editor for the Texas International Law Journal. Scott was admitted to practice law in Texas in 1996.

Saad Arayes
Senior Business Development Officer
International Finance Corporation - World Bank Group
Oil, Gas, Mining and Chemicals

Saad Alrayes is a Senior Business Development Officer with the Oil & Gas Division at the International Finance Corporation who joined the World Bank Group in Jan 07. He is an Investment Banker with a prime objective of facilitating deals in developing countries and streamlining them to be in line with market appetite at the time of offering. He has a Master’s degree from Columbia University NY, class of 86 and has worked extensively in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States, mainly on corporate restructuring and private investments.