Phillips Alaska names management team

New executive team includes six members of former ARCO Alaska executive team

Petroleum News Alaska

Six members of the former ARCO Alaska Inc. executive team are among the seven members of the Phillips Alaska Inc. executive team named by Phillips Alaska President Kevin Meyers May 30.

In addition to the existing Alaska operations, Meyers is also responsible for Polar Tanker Inc., formerly know as ARCO Marine. Tim Clossey, president of ARCO Marine, will serve as the president of Polar Tankers in the interim until a permanent president is named.

• Ryan Lance will continue as vice president for the western North Slope. Phillips’ western North Slope asset area includes the Alpine oil field and any future discoveries within the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. Lance has more than 16 years of oil and gas experience, including assignments with ARCO Alaska, Vastar Resources Inc. in Houston, and ARCO Oil and Gas Co. in Bakersfield, Calif., and Midland, Texas. Lance holds a bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering from Montana Tech.

• Joe Leone will continue as vice president of the greater Kuparuk area and Cook Inlet. Leone will be responsible for all of Phillips’ operations in the greater Kuparuk area and the Cook Inlet, including the Kenai LNG plant, North Cook Inlet platform and Beluga River unit. The greater Kuparuk Area consists of the Kuparuk, Tabasco, West Sak, Tarn and Meltwater oil fields. Leone began his ARCO career in 1984 as a senior engineer with ARCO Exploration and Production Technology in Plano, Texas. His other assignments within ARCO included a variety of positions in ARCO Oil and Gas Co., ARCO Long Beach, and ARCO International. Leone holds a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Youngstown State University and a Master’s and Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the California Institute of Technology.

• Mike Richter will continue as vice president of exploration and land, responsible for oil and gas exploration and lease acquisition and management in Alaska. Richter joined ARCO in 1977 and held exploration and supervisory positions with the North American producing division, ARCO Exploration Co. and ARCO International Oil and Gas Co. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in geology and a Master of Science degree in geophysics, both from the University of Wisconsin.

• Meg Yaege will continue as vice president of pipelines and assume oversight of Phillips’ interest in the Prudhoe Bay unit upon completion of the transition to single operator. Yaege began her oil and gas career with ARCO Pipeline Co., Independence, Kansas, in 1979. Her engineering and operations experience includes assignments at ARCO Pipeline Co., ARCO Alaska, ARCO Alaska Pipelines and Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. She holds a BS and an MS in Mechanical Engineering from Kansas State University and an MBA from Tulsa University.

• Steve Butterworth will become the vice president of finance, planning and control. Butterworth brings more than 20 years of corporate finance and tax management experience to his new position with Phillips Alaska. He previously served as the controller for ARCO Alaska and has held positions with ARCO’s corporate offices, ARCO Oil and Gas Co and Exxon Corp. Butterworth holds a Masters of Accountancy and a BA from the University of Tennessee.

• Dave Márquez will continue as Phillips Alaska vice president and chief counsel, a position he has held with ARCO Alaska since 1996. Márquez, a graduate of Northwestern University and the University of Wisconsin Law School, has 27 years of Alaska legal and oil and gas experience. His Alaska experience includes legal, external affairs, and EH&S work for ARCO Alaska and an assignment as General Counsel for Alyeska Pipeline Service Co.

• Bob McManus will continue as vice president of tax and external affairs, responsible for the company’s federal, state and local tax obligations and public image. McManus has more than 23 years of oil and gas experience. He has served in positions at Exxon Corp., ARCO Oil and Gas Co. and Lyondell Petrochemical Co.. McManus holds a BA degree from University of Dallas, a MBA degree from the University of Notre Dame and a law degree from the University of Texas.

To recognize the growing importance of North Slope natural gas in Phillips’ portfolio, the Alaska North Slope gas commercialization group will now report directly to Meyers. This position will be filled shortly.

The company said that Henry McGee will continue as senior vice president of the Prudhoe Bay Unit until the transition to single operator is completed. He will also continue to lead the ANS gas commercialization efforts until the position is filled. Phoebe Wood will assist Steve Butterworth with the transition from ARCO to Phillips. The company said that announcements about McGee’s and Wood’s plans will be made in the near future.