People in the industry

Wood Group has appointed Robin Watson as CEO, effective Jan. 1, 2016. He succeeds Bob Keiller, who will retire on Dec. 31. Watson has served as CEO of Wood Group PSN and as COO since April. He also has served on the board since 2013. Additionally, Wood Group Intetech (WGI) has named Colin Underwood as global business development manager. With more than 30 years of industry experience, he will be responsible for leveraging and building the global capability of the company. He will now be based at WGI’s headquarters in Chester, UK.

Vic Abate has been promoted to chief technology officer of General Electric Co. He will replace Mark Little, who is retiring from the company after 37 years. Abate will be responsible for overseeing 50,000 employees and nine research centers. Joe Mastrangelo, a leader in the oil and gas unit, will succeed Abate as CEO of power generation.

Seatronics Ltd, an Acteon company, has promoted Phil Middleton from deputy managing director to group managing director. In his new role, Middleton will manage and develop the company’s global business, with a particular focus on long-term growth, strategy and compliance. He joined the company in 2003 as an internal sales engineer, and has gradually progressed within the company. With 21 years of industry experience, Middleton brings significant expertise in engineering, operations, commercial and business development.

Neil Bruce has been named president and CEO, as well as a member of the board of directors, for SNC-Lavalin. He is succeeding Robert G. Card. The transition was effective Oct. 5. Bruce joined the company in 2013, and has overseen its engineering and construction operations. Prior to his time at SNC-Lavalin, Bruce held various leadership positions, including executive director and COO at AMEC. He brings more than 30 years of industry experience to his new role.

R. Scott Rowe has assumed the role of president and CEO of Cameron. He replaces Jack B. Moore, who is retiring from the company, but will continue to serve as chairman of the board. Rowe has held positions with Cameron for 13 years, mostly recently as president and COO. He previously served as CEO of OneSubsea, as well as president of the company’s subsea systems division and president of the engineered and process valves business in the measurement segment. He is also a member of the board.

Marine shipping and offshore classification services provider, ABS, has appointed Dr. Stephen Liu to the American Bureau of Shipping Endowed Chair in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines. Liu, who has worked with ABS for a number of years, will mentor and work with engineering students, in an effort to prepare them for the challenges of a changing industry landscape.

Check-6 International Inc. recently appointed Laura Owen as CEO. Based at the company’s headquarters in Houston, she plans to accelerate the firm’s performance in its current markets and advance it into new verticals. Owen has been a board member since December 2014.

The Petroleum Equipment & Services Association (PESA) has appointed Ryan Bowley as V.P. of operations and external affairs. He was most recently director of government affairs with the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA). Bowley previously spent 12 years in Washington, D.C., where he advised members of the U.S. House and served as an advocate on freight, environmental, energy and hazardous materials issues before Congress and the Executive Branch. Additionally, PESA has promoted Molly Smart to V.P. of communications and member relations.

Amec Foster Wheeler plc has appointed Roy Franklin as an independent non-executive director, effective Jan. 1, 2016. He also will serve as a member of the nominations committee. Most recently, Franklin served as chairman of Keller Group plc, deputy chairman of Statoil ASA, and as non-executive director of Santos Ltd. Additionally, he has served on the boards of OMV Group and Boart Longyear Ltd. He also is chairman of Cuadrilla Resources Holdings Ltd. Franklin has 30 years of industry experience, including 18 at BP.

The Energy Industries Council (EIC) has named Chris Haynes as president. With almost 40 years of industry experience, Haynes has spent much of his career with the Shell Group and its affiliates, including his time managing its operations in Syria. Additionally, he has worked in LNG and petrochemicals in both project development and operations. Since his retirement from Shell in 2011, Haynes has worked as an independent consultant, and as a non-executive director of WorleyParsons and Woodside Petroleum. Hayne’s EIC inauguration took place at the council’s National Dinner on Oct. 15.

Currently the COO of African Petroleum Corp., Jens Pace will assume the role of CEO. He will replace former CEO and executive director, Dr. Stuart Lake, who has stepped down, due to health concerns. Pace, a geoscientist with more than 30 years of industry experience, has been with the company since 2012. He also has served in exploration leadership roles in Africa and other regions for BP, and has been a key player in ongoing negotiations with potential partners for the company.

David J. Hayes has joined Advantek Waste Management Services’ board of directors. The firm provides recycling, treatment and disposal of oilfield wastes. Hayes serves as a visiting lecturer in law at Stanford Law School, as well as visiting senior fellow at the Center for American Progress. He also formerly served as deputy secretary and COO of the Department of the Interior.

Obren Lekic has been named V.P. of sales and business development for engineering, manufacturing, sales and service company, Borets. Based in Houston, Lekic will serve as a key member of the executive team, contributing to business development initiatives and increasing sales by identifying new opportunities. Lekic has worked at the company since 2005, and brings more than 20 years of industry experience to his new position.

Tim Armand has been named V.P. of U.S. offshore operations for Newpark Drilling Fluids. With nearly 30 years of energy industry experience, Armand has acquired extensive offshore operations knowledge through various positions with M-I SWACO and Schlumberger. In his most recent role as global accounts manager, Armand was responsible for managing more than 50 team members, specializing in advanced technical solutions for the deepwater sector.

NextDecade, LLC, has added Krysta De Lima as general counsel and Alfonso Puga as chief commercial officer. De Lima will be responsible for the company’s legal affairs, including the negotiation and drafting of agreements with major businesses. She also will develop strategies and provide legal advice to company management. Puga previously served as head of LNG at PetroChina International in the UK. He is expected to add key experience in growing the commercial function within newly formed LNG businesses.