Management Team
SAM RUSSOTTI, BSc
Non Executive Chairman (appointed 2001)
Mr Russotti is a geologist with more than 30 years experience in the petroleum industry. He has been executive director of the Company since May 2001, after ten years as general manager and finance manager of Cultus Petroleum.
Previously, he was planning manager for Peko Oil Ltd from 1987-90.
STEPHEN GRAVES
Managing Director (appointed 2008)
Mr Graves has over 30 years in the oil and gas industry both in Australia and overseas. Most recently Mr Graves was executive chairman of Orchard Petroleum. Like Golden Gate , Orchard was transformed from a purely exploration company to a company with reserves and production that was eventually taken over in April 2007. Mr Graves was instrumental in this transformation.
Mr Graves worked for Mobil Corporation and affiliated companies for 23 years. He has also been an independent consultant to the energy industry, a senior consultant to Ernst & Young and has extensive experience with funding infrastructure projects.
FRANK PETRUZZELLI, BBus
Non-Executive Director (appointed 2001)
Mr Petruzzelli is a principal of MDB& Co, an Australian accounting firm and has been a director since May 2001. He is an accounting and management services specialist and advises many ASX listed companies and large private organisations.
FRANK BROPHY, BSc
Non-Executive Director (appointed 2009)
Mr. Brophy commenced his career as a petroleum geologist with Australian Aquitaine Petroleum, a subsidiary of S.N.P.A which was later to merge with Elf to become Elf Aquitaine.
His work in exploration, development and production over the last 45 years has been carried out in countries as diverse as the U.K., U.S.A., France, Indonesia, Malaysia, Iran, North Vietnam and Sicily. It has included direct involvement with several oil and gas-condensate discoveries in the North Sea and the giant gas accumulations in the Zagros Mountains of Southern Iran.
In the last 15 year, his areas of focus have been more North Africa (Sudan and Libya), the Middle East (Iraq) and the Central Asian Republics. More recently he was consulting in Hanoi, Vietnam, as General Manager of the French company, Maurel & Prom. The work involved the appraisal and development of an onshore gas discovery. After 2 years in Sicily, again consulting for Maurel & Prom, he returned to Australia where he resides as the Technical Director of the AIM listed Empyrean Energy Plc.
RICHARD VICKERY, Bsc
VP Operations (appointed 2009)
Mr. Vickery has extensive experience with both drilling and production operations. He has engineered and supervised the drilling of wells across the United States from North Dakota to the offshore gulf coast. His experience includes but is not limited to deep, highly pressured, horizontal, and directional wells.
CHRIS BOYWER, Bcom, CA
Company Secretary (appointed 2008)
Chris is a chartered accountant with 15 years experience in public practice as well as the private sector. Chris is currently the company secretary of Solimar Energy Ltd, an ASX listed oil and gas explorer with projects in California, USA.
Chris was previously company secretary of Orchard Petroleum Ltd which was listed on the ASX before its takeover in March 2007. He is an employee of MDB, an Australian accounting firm.