A seasoned team of explorers, oilfield development specialists, geoscientists, financiers with a track record spanning nearly three centuries.

Experienced Leadership Team

CURTIS COHEN

Chairman of the Board

  • ExxonMobil Senior Exploration Geoscientist in Esso Exploration Inc. affiliates Nigeria, Spain, Turkey, Somalia; Esso Australia, Esso Norway, Esso France, Strategic Planning, Upstream, Exxon Company Int’l, NJ.

  • Discovered >1 billion barrels in Usan, Ukot and Owowo fields in deepwater Nigeria blocks in OPL 222/223. Managed 3 billion bbl fields at Esso Australia, Kingfish, Turrum, and Sunfish.

  • Pogo Producing Co (NYSE-FCX) Chief Geophysicist, Thailand, North Sea, discovering 500million stb,ca. 500 wells, 36 platforms, FPSO, FSO. 100,000 bbls per day oil equivalent production & 200 million barrels oil equivalent cumulative production.

  • Exploration Manager, Argentina, Terralliance, ExxonMobil Vaca Muerta private sale.

  • Brittania U Nigeria, Managing Director, Lagos, Nigeria.

  • Alberta Oilsands, Board of Directors (TSXV-AOS).

  • Sahara Group, COO Upstream, Lagos, Nigeria.

  • Western Energy East Africa Ltd., COO, Comoros.

  • CEO Tytan African Resources

  • Faculty Fellow, Columbia University, Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory.

Board Member & Director

PARVEZ TYAB

  • Co-Founder, Director & Board Member Griffiths Energy Chad.

  • Raised project finance, equity and debt for natural resource projects in the private and public markets.

  • Extensive international experience in exploration and developing assets in Asia, Africa and South America.

JEFF RATCLIFFE

Chief Financial Officer

  • CPA with over 14 years’ experience in private and public companies.

  • CFO for several Canadian energy companies with international operations including the United States and Africa.

  • B.A in Economics from the University of Victoria.

GLENN LOVITZ

Chief Operating Officer

  • Senior Geoscientist, ExxonMobil affiliates: Esso Australia, Saudi Aramco, Exxon Co USA , Exxon Exploration Co - Upstream Technology

  • Senior Geoscientist, Pogo Producing Company, Thailand, Vietnam, New Zealand, China, North Sea

  • Senior Geoscientist, Plains Exploration (NYSE:PXP) then Freeport McMoRan (NYSE:FCX) Vietnam, New Zealand, Morocco

  • Chief Geoscientist, Western Energy East Africa Ltd. - Comoros Islands exploration

  • B.S., Geoscience, Penn State University

ADINANI T. AHAMADA

Country Director

  • Country Director, Western Energy Indian Ocean, Comoros.

  • Lake Albert Oil project Interpreter, Uganda & Republic D Congo.

  • Deputy Director, French Cultural Center in the Union of Comoros.

  • Deputy Director, French Cultural Center, Uganda and Comoros.

  • Country Director, Tanzanian Group Bakhresa, Burundi.

  • Deputy Director, Safari Petroleum Offshore, Comoros.

SIMON AKIT P.Eng., MBA

Director

  • Drilling, Completions, and Production engineer, Encana Corp → Head of Institutional Sales and Trading, Ventum Financial → Global Head of Energy sales, Canaccord Genuity

  • Member BMO Capital Markets Resource Team, New York City

  • Director, Stamper Oil and Gas (Namibia)

  • Former director for multiple Canadian listed energy corporations

  • B Eng, McGill University; MBA, Rotman School of Management

  • Professional Engineer, Alberta (APEGA)

WARREN IRWIN

Special Advisor

  • Mr. Irwin began his career as a bond analyst at Scotia Capital Markets, where he developed the Universe Bond Index — the Canadian bond market benchmark — and Canada's first bond index fund.

  • He later worked in corporate finance and mergers & acquisitions at CIBC Wood Gundy, credit analysis and fixed income at Scotia Capital Markets, and proprietary trading at Deutsche Bank Canada before launching Rosseau Asset Management Ltd.

  • Mr. Irwin holds an MBA from the University of Western Ontario (1991), a CFA designation (1990), and a Bachelor of Mathematics from the University of Waterloo (1987).