Winstar is a public oil and gas exploration company focused on Tunisia.
MANAGEMENT
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
MANAGEMENT
Charles de Mestral
Chief Executive Officer, Director - Geneva, Switzerland
Mr. de Mestral has over 30 years of experience in both international and domestic oil and gas exploration, development and production, plus five years of experience as Assistant Vice President, and then Adviser, of the French bank, Paribas. He was the founder and President of Athanor BV (December 1999 to August 2005), Athanor Resources Inc. (September 1998 to September 2002), American Cometra Inc. (April 1983 to September 1992). He was also the CEO of Coparex International in Paris (October 1992 to September 1998). Mr. de Mestral has successfully managed exploration and production in the United States, Canada, Albania, Indonesia, France, the Netherlands, Venezuela and Tunisia.
He holds a BSc and a MSc in Geology from the University of Geneva (Switzerland) and an MBA from the University of Virginia (USA).
David Monachello
President, Director - Calgary, Canada
Mr. Monachello has extensive exploration and corporate skills that were developed during his distinctive 30 year career. He obtained his BSc degree (with Honours) from the University of Toronto and attended Queen’s University for a geology specialization. Mr. Monachello spent 16 years at Paramount Resources Ltd. serving as geologist, chief geologist, officer, director and Vice President of Exploration throughout his tenure. He resigned from Paramount in 1996 when he was recruited as CEO and turn-around specialist for Coparex Canada Ltd., a private exploration and production company wholly owned by Coparex International. In 1999, he left Coparex to join Stylus Exploration Inc. Mr. Monachello left Stylus in 2002 as its CEO and director to start-up Winstar Resources Ltd.
Jerrad Blanchard
Chief Financial Officer - Calgary, Canada
Mr. Blanchard assumed the role of Chief Financial Officer in January 2012. He has been the Controller of Winstar Resources Ltd. since early 2008 and as such has an in-depth knowledge of the financial affairs of the Company. Mr. Blanchard became a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Alberta in 2007.
Rafik Hamza
General Manager - Tunis, Tunisia
Mr. Rafik Hamza has over 30 years of experience in the oil and gas industry. He received his BSc degree in Physics from the University of Tunisia and his MSc degree in Electronics and Automation Engineering from the Nancy Engineering School in France. He spent 17 years at SEREPT (an associate company of ELF Hydrocarbons and ETAP) from 1979 to 1995 including roles as an Offshore Field Manager, Production and Process Engineer, Project Start Up Manager and a Production Manager. He continued his career from 1996 to 2004 at TPS in Tunisia (an associate company of British Gas and ETAP) as Production Manager and then as General Manager. He also served as Production Manager for two years at PA Resources in Tunisia. Mr. Hamza joined Winstar Tunisia B.V. as Operations Manager in 2007 until being appointed General Manager in April 2011.
Mohamed Yaich
Advisor to the CEO - Tunis, Tunisia
Mr. Yaich has over 35 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, including roles as Logging and Petroleum Engineer, Operations Department Supervisor and General Manager of the offshore Ashtart field in Tunisia. Prior to assuming the role of General Manager of Tunisia for Winstar, Mr. Yaich was the General Manager of the Tunisian Branch of Athanor Tunisia B.V., located in Tunis.
Mr. Yaich has a BSc in Mathematics and Physics from the University of Tunis, a Master of Mathematics (Honours) from the University of Tunis and a Master of Engineering from the Institut Algerien du Petrole in Dar Elbaida, Algeria.
Gabor Tihanyi
General Manager of Hungary - Szolnok, Hungary
Mr. Tihanyi has over 30 years industry experience in a wide variety of roles. His former positions include Drilling Engineer, Project manager of Deep Water Wells and Chief Engineer. Prior to taking on the role of General Manager of Hungary for Winstar, Mr. Tihanyi held the position of Executive Manager for MOL Tunisia Oil and Gas Ltd.
Mr. Tihanyi has a MSc in Mining and Engineering from the Technical University of Heavy Industry (Miskolc, Hungary).
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Doug Baker
Director - Calgary, Canada
Mr. Baker serves as Chairman of Winstar’s Audit Committee. He has more than 30 years of experience as a professional chartered accountant and in the oil and gas industry. He is the past chair of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants. In 1996, he received the honour of being named a Fellow of Chartered Accountants and in 2011, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Alberta.
His oilfield experience highlights include the following: From 1997 to 2001, as a member of a three person owner management team, Mr. Baker brought Forte Energy Ltd. from a $2.5 million blind capital pool to a company that sold for $55 million. From 1993 to 1996, at Chancellor Energy Resources Inc., he was instrumental in securing US $40 million long term debt financing, two flow through share issues raising $7.8 million and a corporate acquisition worth $52 million. Mr. Baker has also served as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Forte Resources Inc. (2001 to 2005), and CFO of Valiant Energy Inc. (2005-2006), Territorial Resources Inc. (1996 to 1997), American Eagle Petroleum Ltd. (1991 to 1993) and Conquest Exploration Inc. (1983 to 1991).
Bernard de Combret
Director - Martigny, Switzerland
Mr. de Combret is an international energy consultant and independent director. He spent 24 years at Elf and subsequently, Total. He was Deputy Chairman of the Executive Committee of Total, until his retirement from the group in 2002. He spent many years as CEO of the Refining and Marketing Division, CEO of Trading and Transportation, and CEO of the Gas, Power and New Energy Division. Before entering the energy sector, Mr. de Combret held senior positions in the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in the Ministry of Finance (Treasury) in Paris. He also served as arbitrator on international litigations in the energy sector and advisor to energy funds. He now sits as an independent director on the boards of several international companies.
Charles de Mestral
Chief Executive Officer, Director - Geneva, Switzerland
W. Russ Duncan
Director - Calgary, Canada
Mr. Duncan is a professional engineer over 35 years of experience in the oil industry. He is currently Vice President of Sky Hunter Exploration Ltd. He has held engineering and marketing positions with Alberta Eastern Gas Limited and Ocelot Industries Ltd. He was an Officer and Director of Paramount Resources Ltd. and a Director of Newalta Corporation.
Evgenij Iorich
Director – Zurich, Switzerland
Since September 2006, Mr. Iorich has been with Pala Investments AG, the exclusive advisor to Pala Investments Holdings Limited, a multi-strategy investment company dedicated to investing in, and creating value across, the mining sector in both developed and emerging markets. Mr. Iorich is involved in various projects in the natural resources and oil and gas sectors. He began his career in commodities trading at Mechel, the Russian metals and mining company, where he was involved in trading and contracting.
Bryan Lawrence
Director - New York City, USA
Mr. Lawrence is a founder and senior manager of Yorktown Partners LLC, the manager of the Yorktown group of investment partnerships, which makes investments in companies engaged in the energy industry. The Yorktown partnerships were formerly affiliated with the investment firm of Dillon, Read & Co. Inc. where Mr. Lawrence had been employed since 1966, serving as a Managing Director until the merger of Dillon Read with SBC Warburg in September 1997. Mr. Lawrence also serves as a director of several publicly traded companies including Winstar Resources Ltd. (a Canadian public company) and certain non-public companies in the energy industry in which Yorktown partnerships hold equity interests. Mr. Lawrence is a graduate of Hamilton College and also has an MBA from Columbia University.
Bruce Libin
Chairman of the Board - Calgary, Canada
Mr. Libin was the President of Logan International Inc., the successor to Destiny Resource Services Corp., for which Mr. Libin was Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer from December 2000 to February 2010. From 1994 to 2000, his principal occupation was as President of BR Libin Capital Corp., an investment and merchant and investment banking advisory services company. Prior to that time, he was a senior partner, involved with mergers and acquisitions and securities law, with the law firm Bennett Jones, which he joined in 1975.
Mr. Libin has a BComm (Honours) from the University of Toronto, his Juris Doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and his MBA from the Wharton School. He was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1990, received the Canada 125 Medal of Distinction in 1992 and was granted an Honorary Degree from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology in May 2002. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of Provident Energy Trust, Greengate Power Corporation and several private corporations, foundations and community organizations.
Robert Mitchell
Director - Calgary, Canada
Dr. Mitchell has more than 35 years of domestic and international oil and gas experience. In 2003, he retired from Talisman Energy Inc. as Executive Vice President of North American Operations. Preceding his tenure with Talisman, Dr. Mitchell held executive positions with BP Canada Inc., BP International and Royal Dutch Shell where he managed Canadian oil sands and exploration/development projects in the North Sea, the Netherlands, Africa, the Middle East and the USA. Dr. Mitchell is also a member of the Boards of Directors of Provident Energy Trust and several private corporations.
David Monachello
Director, President - Calgary, Canada
Christopher J. Whyte
Director - Houston, USA
Mr. Whyte is the President, Chief Executive Officer and a director of Houston-based PetroSantander Inc., which owns and operates oil and gas producing properties in the United States, Colombia and Brazil, since 1995. Mr. Whyte holds a B.A. from the University of Pittsburgh.