Board of Directors
John Lander Chairman (65)
John is a highly experienced oil company executive with a proven track record in adding significant value for shareholders through successful UK and International oil and gas exploration, production and new business development. He started his career with Shell and has more than 40 years’ experience in the international oil and gas industry, having held boardroom posts at RTZ Oil and Gas, Pict Petroleum plc, Premier Oil plc, British-Borneo Petroleum Syndicate plc and Tuskar Resources plc. From 2000 to 2004 he was a director of Tullow Oil plc and Managing Director of Tullow Oil UK Limited. (Member of Audit, Remuneration and Nomination Committees).
Neil O’Brien Chief Executive Officer (46)
Neil is a qualified Chartered Accountant with over 20 years management experience within the UK and Europe. After qualifying at Coopers & Lybrand, Neil joined Blue Circle Industries PLC where he held a number of senior financial roles including a period as Finance Director of the Blue Circle’s French based Heating Products operations. More recently Neil was Finance Director at Speedy Hire PLC the UK’s largest rental company and a FTSE250 member. During Neil’s 10 years at Speedy Hire the group was transformed from a generalist building group to focus on the Speedy brand which grew revenues to over £450m in 2008. Neil joined Alkane Energy as Chief Executive Officer in November 2008.
Cameron Davies Non-Executive Director (65)
Cameron was awarded his PhD at Imperial College in 1971 and has wide experience in the energy and environmental sectors. His international career encompasses North Sea operations, the discovery of a major Tunisian oilfield and the establishment an international oil exploration company. He founded Alkane in 1994 to exploit methane emissions from coal mines and has overseen its expansion into decentralised power generation and renewable energy technology. As ACMMO Chairman, he successfully lobbied for Climate Change Levy exemption of electricity generated from coal mine methane. He is an expert member of UNECE’s panel on mine methane. He has presented many papers at international conferences on petroleum exploration, mine methane and on the impact on the climate of this potent greenhouse gas.
Stephen Goalby Finance Director (61)
Stephen has more than 30 years of financial and management experience in the electricity industry. From 1991 to 1997 he was financial controller of East Midlands Electricity plc’s generation business and was involved in establishing that business and in its subsequent sale. He was a director of several subsidiaries of East Midlands Electricity plc, including its renewable energy companies. He then became general manager of Corby Power Limited, which operates a 350MW gas-fired power station, and later a consultant to the US utility company Dominion Resources Inc. and to Alkane, before joining Alkane in February 1999. He was appointed Finance Director in May 2000, and took on the duties of Company Secretary in December 2003.
Julia Henderson Non-Executive Director (48)
Julia has been involved with entrepreneurial growth companies in a wide range of sectors for over two decades. She is an independent non-executive director and corporate consultant with quoted and private mid market companies. Julia has already gained experience in the renewable energy sector as Chairman of GTL Resources plc, the bio-ethanol producer. She is a Non-Executive Director of Eco Animal Health plc', was a founder shareholder and later a director of Beeson Gregory (now Evolution Securities), the mid market investment bank, and has a wealth of City experience. (Chairman of Audit and member of Remuneration and Nomination Committees).
David Oldham Technical Director (72)
David is a chartered engineer with more than 30 years’ experience in the coal mining industry. He was previously head of engineering for British Coal in Nottinghamshire. His wide responsibilities included the utilisation of methane emitted from working mines for power generation. He managed the design and construction of the 18MW mine gas power station at Harworth now operated by UK Coal plc. David joined Alkane in 1994 to assist in proving the technical and commercial viability of the CMM concept. He has developed Alkane’s unique extraction technology and brought all the operating plants from concept to production.
Joe Darby Non-Executive Director (61)
Joe, has a proven track record in the energy sector. He spent eight years with Shell Petroleum before becoming Chief Executive of Thomson North Sea Ltd. He then performed a number of senior roles with LASMO plc and was Chief Executive Officer from 1993 to 2001. Joe is currently a Non-Executive Director at Premier Oil plc and Nordaq Energy plc. He was previously Non-Executive Chairman of Mowlem plc and Faroe Petroleum plc and has also previously held non-executive roles at BNFL plc, Centurion Energy Inc, Sellafield Ltd and Carillion JM Ltd.
Page last updated: 4 March 2010