Chairman Michael Quamina and the Board of Directors of Heritage Petroleum Company Limited (Heritage) have selected Erik Keskula as the CEO of the company. Keskula will serve as the CEO Designate for the period June 1–13, and will assume full responsibility when Arlene Chow, current CEO, retires from the company on June 13, 2023.
The selection of Keskula as the new CEO followed a rigorous recruitment process which considered candidates from Trinidad and Tobago as well as the international oil and gas industry.
Keskula is an extremely well-regarded leader in the international oil and gas industry with over twenty-five years’ experience in exploration and production. He has functioned in several executive and senior management positions with ConocoPhillips in different regions across the world, including President Malaysia, Vice President North Slope Operations, North Slope Development Manager, Vice President Subsurface, Exploration Planning & Portfolio Manager, and Seismic Technology Manager. Keskula sees himself as fortunate to have been involved in growing production and delivering projects throughout all stages of the asset lifecycle including start-ups, mature assets, and joint ventures. With a passion to improve the business through continuous improvement and new ideas, he values and cultivates the relationships required to develop and deliver strategic plans and long-term value for the company.
Keskula is committed to the development of employees and has always worked with leadership to cultivate and promote a productive work culture. Recognising the value of a diverse workforce, he has also fostered development leadership programmes to ensure that the talent pipeline is healthy and that the future is secured by having the right talent in place.
Keskula is well qualified, holding a Master of Science in Engineering and Technology Management from Oklahoma State University and a Bachelor of Science in Geophysical Engineering/Minor Mathematics from the well-known Colorado School of Mines. He brings the right mix of operational, technical, commercial, and stakeholder management skills to be the new CEO of Heritage Petroleum Company Limited.
With Keskula’s impressive and wide-ranging skills and experience, the Board of Directors is confident in his ability to take Heritage forward.