Business briefs: People on the move and company news of January 2026

CEOs taking the helm

Heerema Marine Contractors named Marcel de Nooijer its new CEO, with interim CEO Pieter Heerema supporting during the handover. 

Meg O’Neill stepped down last month as Woodside Energy’s CEO to accept a similar role at bp. Liz Westcott (former EVP and COO Australia) was then appointed acting CEO. The board said it will complete its search for a permanent CEO in first-quarter 2026. O’Neill will officially assume the role of bp CEO on April 1, 2026, while Carol Howle will serve as interim CEO.

Brava Energia's CEO Décio Oddone will resign Jan. 31, and the board of directors has elected Richard Kovacs to the position, effective Feb. 1. Kovacs will therefore step down as chairman of the board of directors but will remain as a member. Moreover, the board named Alexandre Cruz chairman of the board, effective Jan. 12, replacing Kovacs. 

Workforce solutions provider Airswift has promoted James Allen from COO to CEO, effective Jan. 23, succeeding CEO Janette Marx.

NorthStandard has appointed Steve Cockburn CEO of NorthStandard Europe, the Dublin-based subsidiary that has oversight of about 40% of the global marine insurer’s book.

VPs, EVPs and SVPs stepping up

Crowley has created two divisions: shipping and logistics, led by Executive Vice President and Division President James C. Fowler, and energy, led by Executive Vice President and Division President Kollin Fencil. 

Robin Mooldijk, Shell's president of Projects and Technology, will step down after 35 years, effective Feb. 28. Following Mooldijk's departure Shell’s Executive Committee will reduce in size from nine to eight members.

THREE60 Energy has appointed Stuart Gregg senior operations director, Paul Simpson  business development director for the UK Wells service line, and Sarah Wells and Rachel Buchan business development and proposals associates.

Brokerage and advisory firm Rosenberg & Parker has added Brad Williams as vice president of its Energy practice. He brings nearly 25 years of expertise in equity capital markets, with a focus on traditional and clean energy and power companies.

Africa Energy Corp.'s Dr. Phindile Masangane has resigned from her roles as director and officer, serving as head of strategy and business development since May 2025. Dr. Masangane has accepted an executive position with the Development Bank of South Africa.

Advanced Navigation, a navigation and autonomous systems specialist, has appointed Michelle Toscan head of APAC to drive maritime autonomy.

Natural Power, a global renewable energy consultancy, has named Jim Adams global director for advisory and analytics, and Holly Burnett has been promoted to president of natural power in North America. In addition, Kevin Mitchell has been appointed head of asset management.

Service provider Armoda has hired Brandon J. Arceneaux corporate sales manager.

Ørsted has appointed Simon Ashley its next chief HR officer, effective Aug. 1, 2026. The appointment follows a planned succession process as Henriette Fenger Ellekrog, currently in this role, has decided to conclude her executive career.

Board of Directors providing guidance

Thomas W. Horton has joined Chevron's board of directors as an independent director and has also been appointed to the board audit committee.

Simply Blue Group has appointed David Povall the new chair of the board of Simply Blue Energy OSW Ltd. (SBE OSW). The company also welcomed several new directors to its board: Kazuma Fukai, Makoto Takeuchi, Yuki Koshida and Chris Gaydon.

Archer Ltd. has named Derek Mathieson a new member of the company’s board of directors.

Oxford Flow, a flow control equipment specialist, has named Andrew Hodgson executive chair of its board.

The new board of directors for Kongsberg Maritime consists of Chair Per Arthur Sørlie and members Margareth Øvrum, Ivar Hansson Myklebust, Kristin Holth and Anders Bade.

M&A deals, joint ventures and spin-offs

Baker Hughes reported on Jan. 2 the final closing of its joint venture with a subsidiary of Cactus Inc., in which Baker Hughes has contributed its surface pressure control product line. Cactus, a manufacturer and service provider of pressure control equipment for oil and gas drilling, completion and production, holds a 65% equity in the joint venture, with Baker Hughes retaining a 35% stake.

Kongsberg Maritime is on its way to becoming a standalone company, as the separation of Kongsberg Maritime was formally approved by its shareholders last week. Kongsberg Gruppen ASA will continue as two companies. The business areas Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace and Kongsberg Discovery will form the new KONGSBERG, while the business area Kongsberg Maritime will be spun off as its own company, independent of the group.

Steel fabricator Gulf Island Fabrication Inc.'s shareholders approved the acquisition of Gulf Island by IES Holdings Inc. The transaction was scheduled to close on Jan. 16.

The Rosenxt Group has acquired K.U.M. Umwelt- und Meerestechnik Kiel GmbH, strengthening its position in the subsea technology market and expanding its portfolio of deepsea monitoring and data acquisition services.

New divisions and headquarters

MFE Inspection Solutions has launched MFE Offshore, a new division dedicated to subsea and offshore inspections. MFE Offshore was created to support offshore oil and gas, offshore wind and other maritime operators with inspection tools, training and support made for harsh subsea conditions.

Logistics provider UTC Overseas Inc.'s Houston headquarters moved to 2 City North, just a few minutes from its previous location. The company also opened an office in Singapore this month to better serve clients across the Asia-Pacific region.