Echo Energy Plc (LON:ECHO) has hired Rockhopper Exploration Plc (LON:RKH) chief operating officer Fiona MacAuley as its new chief executive.
The ambitious oiler highlighted that MacAuley has led Rockhopper’s Sea Lion project, which saw multiple discoveries in the waters of the South Atlantic.
MacAuley will now leave Rockhopper in early July to take up the Echo role.
Echo, the AIM-quoted oil and gas reboot being steered by Sound Energy boss James Parsons, is focussing on opportunities in South America and MacAuley is the latest significant new appointment for the group.
'We are delighted to welcome Fiona as chief executive officer,” James Parsons said in a statement.
“The board and I are huge supporters of her drive and ambition and are very pleased to have secured someone of her regional experience, credibility and talent.
“Echo has an ambitious growth strategy and I look forward to working closely with her and Julian to rapidly build the company into a mid-cap E&P firm; Fiona's outstanding technical credentials ensure we are very well placed to deliver on all of our goals.
“I remain very focused on continuing to deepen our senior management bench-strength and look forward to announcing further appointments in due course.”
Greg Coleman, the company’s former chief executive, will remain with the group until September 1 as a transitional advisor.
The company also today noted the appointment of Julian Bessa as its new vice president, exploration. Bessa has twenty years’ experience including a stint as BG Group’s Bolivian exploration manager and vice president of exploration in Brazil.
In a statement, new chief executive MacAuley said: “I am delighted to be joining Echo at such an exciting time for the business, as we begin to implement our newly announced strategy.
“We are building an experienced senior team with technical and commercial strength, and are looking to grow the business through material additions to the portfolio as soon as possible.
“I look forward to working with James and the wider team to add real value for our investors and create a dynamic company of real scale.”