Tullow taps Ian Perks as its new chief executive

(Sharecast News) - Tullow Oil announced the appointment of Ian Perks as its new chief executive officer on Friday, with effect from 15 September. He would also join the board the same day.

Richard Miller, who had been serving as interim chief executive while continuing as chief financial officer, would return to his finance role.

The London-listed firm said Perks would bring more than three decades of experience in the upstream oil and gas sector, having held senior roles at BG Group, Anadarko and Total.

At Anadarko and later Total, he played a central role in delivering the $20bn Mozambique LNG project, taking it to final investment decision after extensive engagement with the government.

He previously oversaw BG's $10bn Queensland Gas Company LNG project in Australia, delivered on schedule and within budget, and led operations in Tunisia and Trinidad and Tobago.

"I am delighted to welcome Ian to Tullow as CEO; he brings a wealth of industry and African knowledge and experience and has a track record of successfully managing large multi-stakeholder businesses and projects," said Phuthuma Nhleko, chairman of Tullow.

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank Richard Miller for stepping into the role of Interim CEO and congratulate him on the considerable progress made during that time."

Perks said he was joining the company at a critical juncture in its development.

"My near term priority will be to work with Richard, the Tullow team and our stakeholders to put the company on a long-term sustainable financial footing," he said.

"We will then have an opportunity to grow the Company across Africa, leveraging our current assets and reputation on the continent of Africa to add value for our stakeholders."

At 0833 BST, shares in Tullow Oil were up 3.1% at 10.47p.

Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com.