TECHNICAL MANAGEMENT
Stephen Newton – CEO
40+ years international Oil and Gas experience, extensive Senior Management and BOD experience with companies such as Oxy (CEO OXY Colombia and VP Worldwide Engineering and EOR Business Development), Solana and Vetra. Petroleum and Mining Engineering and MBA degrees. Excellent contacts in industry and government. Lives and works in Colombia (20+ yr.). Co-founder of Solana Resources, now GranTierra Energy, a $ 2.0 billion market cap company. Largest GranTierra assets are on acreage acquired by Solana prior to acquisition. Currently CEO and large equity owner in Wattle Petroleum.
Menno Wiebe – VP Exploration
40+ years international experience, extensive Senior Management and BOD experience with multinational companies (i.e. Oxy, Husky, Hall Houston). Geological and MBA degrees. Has worked in Colombia ( 10+ yr.). Co-founder of Solana Resources, now GranTierra Energy. On the Board of Directors of Petronorte until the sale of the company to GranTierra in mid 2016 for $ 520 MM. Currently VP Exploration and large equity owner in Wattle Petroleum.
Cesar Zárate – VP new Opportunities
Business Administrator from EAN University, specialized in Marketing Management from Universidad del Rosario. Extensive experience in development and delivery strategic solutions for the oil and gas industry. More than 30 years in business development for new venture and emerging companies across commodities and technology. Managing teams successfully delivering complex analysis, strategic financial and business plans worldwide. Commodity Trader worldwide for different Hedge Funds, development mining areas in South America, Management high performance commercial teams.
Ana Maria Silva- Legal Representantive- Attorney
15+ years of experience in the public and private sector. Most recently managing ANH block acquisition and application processes; With knowledge in registration issues and regulation of the financial sector; specific experience in regulation and control of exploitation of hydrocarbons and minerals, management of public policy of the mining-energy sector; execution of fiscal control of rotation and execution of royalties derived from mining energy activities, in the sector of health works, education, infrastructure and social development.
Jaime Ariza – Operations Manager
Petroleum Engineer from the Industrial University of Santander. More than 40 years of experience in the supervision and execution of drilling and cementing projects for Exploratory and Development wells, mud services, directional tools, electrical registers, civil works and transportation of hydrocarbons in Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador and Bolivia. Drilling Manager in Ecopetrol, where he led the drilling equipment in different parts of Colombia, as well as the offshore work in Lake Maracaibo. Associated with Occidental de Colombia, leading exploratory and development drilling in the areas of Caño Limon, Payoa, among others. He also worked with Solana Resources, Harken de Colombia, Repsol and Vetra Energy, optimizing 20% of the costs due to the implementation of the well’s designs.
