Mr Ian Paton
Non-Executive Chairman
Ian is an accomplished International Petroleum Consultant specialising in Engineering and Geoscience, a role he has performed since 2000. Among numerous other roles, Ian has been most recently focussed on Coogee Resources' projects in the Timor Sea where he identified and developed significant oil discovering resulting from exploration success. Production from these discoveries now approaches 40,000 bopd.
Prior to commencing his consulting role Ian was technical director at Amity Oil (now Amtares Energy) where he discovered two commercial gas fields in Turkey. Ian also held positions as technical manager of CONOCO Oceania where he ran oil operations in Australia and PNG, and as exploration and development manager at Santos where he was responsible for oil field developments in South Australia and leading Santos into the north-west shelf where he oversaw numerous discoveries.
Ian has been a Director of NSE since March 2008.
Mr Samuel Willis
Executive Director
Sam has worked as a corporate and financial advisor for the past 10 years, largely focussing on the resources sector. Principal focus over this time included completing opportunity evaluation, investment analysis, capital raising and co-ordination, broker liaison and deal negotiation and structuring.
Sam has previously held positions as a private client advisor with stockbroker Hartley Poynton, a financial and corporate advisor with Red Dingo (Venture Capital Advisers) as well as financial analyst positions with both Deutsche Bank and Schroders Investment Management in London. Sam is currently non-executive director of ASX-listed Northern Energy Corporation Limited (ASX: NEC) and junior explorer Base Iron Limited (ASE: BSE).
Sam holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Western Australia where he majored in Accounting and Finance with a Marketing minor.
Dr G. Mark Hagan
Technical Director
Mark has over 30 years experience in oil and gas exploration and production.
He has spent over 18 years in the USA and Europe, working on numerous international projects in a variety of positions. During this time Mark was responsible for exploration activities in Europe, Africa, South America and Asia for Sun Oil Company - a large, US-based, integrated oil Company.
Mark was on the board of Sun Exploration and Production Company from 1986 to 1991 during which time new discoveries were made in all exploration spheres, and oil production rose to 70,000 barrels/day. Since returning to Australia in 1991, Mark has been an independent consultant, mainly on projects in the Australia/Asia region, and is past Chairman of Empire Oil (1999-2002) – a small, ASX- listed, exploration company.
Mark’s expertise is in the integration of all technical, operational and marketing aspects of oil and gas business ventures.