Australian LNG player Woodside will appoint at least four BHP executives to the new leadership team following the completion of the planned merger with BHP’s oil and gas business.
Woodside said in November it had signed a binding merger agreement with BHP’s petroleum business. On the same day, it also took a final investment decision on the Scarborough and Pluto LNG Train 2 developments worth about $12 billion.
CEO Meg O’Neill announced the new executive team for the merged company in a statement on Tuesday.
Perth and Houston
BHP Petroleum’s Shiva McMahon would lead international operations, Andy Drummond would take over exploration and development, while Matthew Ridolfi would lead projects.
They would all be based in Houston while Tony Cudmore, who would take over strategy and climate, would be based in Perth.
As per Woodside executives, Graham Tiver would take over as finance chief, while Fiona Hick would lead Australian operations. The company nominated Shaun Gregory to lead new energy, Mark Abbotsford would lead marketing and trading, while Julie Fallon would lead corporate services. These five executives would be based in Perth.
Woodside’s Daniel Kalms would be in charge to lead merger integration activities after completion of the proposed merger, based in Perth as well.
Completion expected in second quarter
According to the statement, the nominee who would lead technical services would be subject to a future announcement.
Other than Tiver and Kalms, all of the new nominees will take their nominated roles only if and when completion of the proposed merger occurs.
O’Neill said the nominated leadership team has, “the capabilities, experiences and diverse perspectives to deliver long-term success for the merged company.”
“The merged business is expected to have the scale and cash flow to create value for shareholders, deliver growth and thrive through the global energy transition, enabled by a leadership team that brings together the very best of our two organizations,” the CEO said.
Woodside expects to complete the proposed merger in the second quarter of 2022.