Leadership team

David Ross has extensive experience in international tax law and is a partner in the Calgary-based law firm of Burnett Duckworth & Palmer. He has served as Secretary to the Board since the Company was formed in 2004.

Jay Lyons joined the Company in May 2019 as a Non-Executive Director and took on the role of Interim Chief Executive Officer in 2020 and Chief Executive Officer in June 2021.

Jay Lyons is a private investor with considerable experience in the oil and gas industries in both Canada and the United States. He has worked in a range of roles for both private and public companies in the upstream and downstream sectors. Jay Lyons has a strong familiarity and understanding of the Songo Songo project and the Tanzanian operating environment.

Dr Léautier is a globally respected development expert and has extensive African and global experience in the public and private sectors. Dr Léautier is a Senior Partner at SouthBridge Group, she is also the Founder and Managing Partner of the Fezembat Group and was previously Senior Vice President of the African Development Bank, where she led efforts to improve the bank’s overall operational effectiveness. Other roles include: Chief Operating Officer for the Trade and Development Bank based in Nairobi, Infrastructure Director, World Bank, Vice President and Head of the World Bank Institute.

Dr Léautier holds a PhD in Infrastructure Systems and a Masters in Transportation from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Linda Beal was a tax partner with PricewaterhouseCoopers in the UK for 16 years and then with Grant Thornton UK LLP.  Linda has significant experience of advising natural resources groups operating in Africa and internationally. Linda is also a non-executive director at Kropz PLC.

Jay Lyons joined the Company in May 2019 as a Non-Executive Director and took on the role of Interim Chief Executive Officer in 2020 and Chief Executive Officer in June 2021.

Jay Lyons is a private investor with considerable experience in the oil and gas industries in both Canada and the United States. He has worked in a range of roles for both private and public companies in the upstream and downstream sectors. Jay Lyons has a strong familiarity and understanding of the Songo Songo project and the Tanzanian operating environment.

Ewen Denning brings over thirty-five years of international energy industry experience to Orca Energy Group. During his career has he has worked for BP, BG Group and Glencore and had assignments across five continents. Since 2011 he has worked extensively in Africa on a variety of projects in Cameroon, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria and Tunisia; most recently on the Logbaba integrated gas project in Cameroon. He has wide technical and commercial experience having held senior positions managing operational assets in established areas and commercialising new ventures in frontier areas.

Mr Denning holds a B.Eng. in Mechanical engineering from Sheffield University and an MBA from Heriot-Watt University. He is a Chartered Engineer and Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and also a Member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers.

Andrew Hanna has worked with Orca and PAET in various management roles for the past nine years, being appointed Managing Director of PAET in 2019. He joined Orca following a career spanning four decades in the public sector where he led engineering, logistics and security projects around the world. Since joining Orca, he has played an integral role in the development and delivery of strategic and operational plans for PAET, while taking a lead role in the management of complex senior stakeholder issues in Tanzania. Andrew Hanna has a strong background in electronic and civil engineering and has a Master’s Degree in Military Science from Cranfield University. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute and a Member of the Institute of Royal Engineers.

Andrew Hanna is pursuing a Master’s in Business Administration, specializing in Oil and Gas Management, through Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen.

Lloyd Herrick brings over four decades of international energy experience and following a 20 year career at TransGlobe Energy Corporation (“TransGlobe”) where he was Vice President, Chief Operating Officer and Director. Prior to TransGlobe, he served as President, Chief Executive Officer and a member of the board of Moiibus Resource Corporation, which was acquired by TransGlobe. Earlier in his career, Lloyd Herrick worked at Ranger Oil Limited, holding technical, management and executive positions, and was a petroleum engineer with Rupertsland Resources Ltd. And Hudson’s Bay Oil & Gas Ltd.

During his time as a member of the TransGlobe executive team and board, Lloyd Herrick acquired a wealth of experience in direct government negotiations, including concession agreement amendments and extensions to achieve optimum resource development.