Australian LNG player Santos said Anthea McKinnell would become the company’s new chief financial officer from January 1, 2022.
McKinnell replaces Anthony Neilson who has held the CFO role since December 2016.
Neilson would stay with the company as chief commercial officer initially based in Sydney, where he would play a key role in overseeing the transition of the Oil Search business, according to Santos.
Santos said last week it had completed the merger deal with PNG-focused Oil Search worth about A$22 billion ($15.7 billion).
McKinnell has been with Santos as deputy chief financial officer since 2019.
“She has extensive experience in the industry, having previously spent 13 years at Woodside where she held several senior executive roles, including SVP finance and treasury, VP global operations planning and performance, and acting CFO,” Santos said.
Handover to start immediately
Santos managing director and chief executive officer Kevin Gallagher said Neilson and McKinnell would begin a handover immediately.
He said McKinnell had gained deep experience of the Santos business during the past two years, including playing a key role leading the successful $1 billion 144A bond transaction in April 2021, integration of the ConocoPhillips asset purchase, and the current Oil Search merger.
Gallagher welcomed McKinnell as an internal successor in the role of CFO at this “pivotal moment” for Santos as the firm finalizes the merger deal with Oil Search.
“I look forward to working with both Anthea and Anthony in their new leadership roles as we deliver our strategy to decarbonize our base business, transition to cleaner energy and clean fuels, and deliver shareholder value from the Oil Search merger,” he said.
