The experienced management team have strong international, major oil company backgrounds that range from technology, exploration and performance management both within Norway and internationally. Together the management team have over 135 years of experience applicable to Norwegian oil exploration, and have a track record of working constructively with the Norwegian authorities from participation in the Konkraft process, OLF committees, industry fora and active participation in processes to improve the competitiveness of the Norway oil industry.

John R Pickard, Chief Executive Officer (57) Has over 35 years experience from technical and leadership positions in the oil & gas industry with BP and Canamens. John first came to Norway in 1976. From 1996 he held different positions on the BP Norway leadership team, primarily focused on acreage access, exploration, appraisal and field development. In 2002 he took a secondment to the leadership team of the Norwegian Oil Industry Association (OLF). He was responsible for managing, Skarv and Ormen Lange through Concept Select stage, delivering the PDO for the unitised Skarv/Idun fields. In 2007 John co-founded Canamens Ltd, a new oil company backed by private equity, as VP Exploration. He is also a non-executive Director of Dolphin Group. John has an MA in Geology from Oxford University.

Samuel R Johnson, Exploration Manager (56) Brings over 33 years of international exploration, technology and production experience to the team. Sam has held a variety of global positions during his 29-year career in BP, including Norway exploration for the 16th and 17th Licence Rounds and R&D technology examining reservoir systems. His last role in BP was Director of Geology responsible for compiling the Appraisal and Development Geology Handbook and managing the Structural, Sedimentology & Stratigraphy, Biostratigraphy and Petroleum Systems networks. Recently, he has been the Chief Geoscientist for Canamens Energy with exploration interests in Kazakhstan, Morocco and a UK North Sea appraisal project. Sam has a BSc in Geology from the University of Utah.

Frode Vassbo, Commercial Manager (49) Brings over 22 years of commercial and business development experience from Norway and abroad. Frode has been the Managing Director of Rig Management Norway which established and then coordinated and facilitated Rig Sharing Consortia on NCS. Prior to that, he was a Partner and Managing Director of Melberg Partners which provided corporate finance consulting services to a range of operators on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. He has also held commercial advisor / lead positions in BP, Amoco and Statoil. Frode has a MBA from Kansas State University and BAA from University of Wisconsin Eau Claire.

Birte N. Borrevik, HSE and Operations Manager (53) Brings more than 30 years of Drilling, Project and operational HSE experience. From 2006 to 2011 she was the VP of Projects and Technology for Noreco accountable for projects, engineering and operations including HSE performance of all operated activity. She had an important role in developing the organization and the management system for the company to qualify as an operator on the NCS. Birte also spent 18 years in various roles with BP both in Norway and internationally. She was the Exploration Drilling Manager for Norway and then became the Project General Manager Valhall Flank Development. Birte then spent 3 years in Sunbury in the E&P Technology group as the Major Projects team leader with the purpose to drive functional excellence and a multidiscipline approach to Major Projects worldwide. Birte has a BSc in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Stavanger.

Knut Hansch, Chief Geophysicist (50) Brings over 25 years of technical experience from Norway and abroad. Recently Knut was the principal geophysicist for Canamens working in Kazakhstan, Morocco and UK North Sea. He spent over 18 years with BP as a technical leader in geophysical interpretation and was the global leader of subsurface visualization. He has direct Norway experience having worked exploration projects, and Valhall and Ormen Lange fields. Knut has a MSc in Geophysics from Hamburg University.