Decision Makers
Board of Directors
Christopher H. Hopkins has served as
Chief Executive Officer and a director
of Oilsands Quest Inc. since August 14,
2006. Mr. Hopkins also held the post of
President from August 14, 2006 until
September 15, 2008. In addition, Mr.
Hopkins is President, Chief Executive
Officer and a director of Oilsands Quest
Sask Inc., a subsidiary of the Company,
since November 10, 2004. From October
1999 to September 2004, Mr. Hopkins
was a founder and the Executive Vice
President of Synenco Energy Inc. Mr.
Hopkins was also a director of Synenco
from October 1999 to August 2003. He
was directly responsible for Synenco’s
exploration operations resulting in the
identification of over two billion barrels
of bitumen. Mr. Hopkins’ 30 years of
Canadian and international energy and
mining experience includes executive
positions in corporate planning and
business development with Suncor’s
Oil Sands Group, Pembina Corporation
and Amoco Canada. He also has
specialized management experience in
environmental control and regulatory
affairs in the resource industry. He
received an MBA in 1980 from Queen’s
University.
Garth Wong has been Chief Financial Officer since February, 2009 and prior to joining Oilsands Quest, he was a Principal and Vice President of Sokol Developments Inc., a private real estate company involved in the development of commercial and residential properties in Calgary. Prior to that, Mr. Wong served as Vice President and Comptroller for TransAlta Corporation, Canada's largest investor-owned wholesale power generator and marketing company, where he was responsible for financial reporting, planning, taxation and budgeting, as well as financial systems and processes.
Mr. Wong has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Calgary and holds a professional designation as a Chartered Accountant (Alberta). Additional industry experience includes 18 years of increasing accounting and financial responsibilities with Union Pacific Resources Inc. (formerly Norcen Energy Resources) and KPMG LLP.
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| Oilsands Quest Inc |
Chief Financial Officer |
Current |
| TransAlta Corporation |
Vice President & Comptroller |
Former |
| Sokol Developments |
Principal & Vice President |
Former |
| University of Calgary |
Bachelor of Commerce Degree |
Former |
Erdal Yildirim has been Executive Vice President, Project Development since October 2, 2006. From 1999 to December 2005, he was Senior Vice President, Engineering and Technology at Synenco Energy Inc. Dr. Yildirim received his Doctor of Engineering Science degree from the School of Engineering & Applied Science of Columbia University in New York City . He joined Cities Service Company in 1972 and was assigned to the Syncrude Project in 1974. Since then, he has been associated with numerous industry-leading oil sands projects. He was also a founder and Chairman of the Alberta Chamber Resources Oil Sands Task Force and the National Task Force on Oil Sands Strategies, Chairman of Alberta Hydrogen Technology Steering Committee and a member of the Alberta Energy Research Council, which advised the Alberta Minister of Energy. At present, Dr. Yildirim is General Manager of Canadian Oil Sands Network for Research Development (CONRAD), a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering collaborative research and development within the oil sands industry.
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| Oilsands Quest Inc |
Senior Vice President of the Amex Equities Group |
Current |
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| Oilsands Quest Inc |
Vice President, Reservoir Engineering |
Current |
| Petro-Canada |
|
Former |
| Delft University of Technology |
|
Former |
| The Faculty |
|
Former |
| Petroleum Engineering, Inc |
|
Former |
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| Oilsands Quest Inc |
Vice President, Exploration |
Current |
| Synenco |
Chief Geologist |
Former |
| Synenco |
Consultant |
Former |
Leigh Peters joined Oilsands Quest in August 2007, bringing seven years of securities and corporate legal experience to the newly-created position of in-house legal counsel. Prior to joining the company, Ms. Peters was an associate with Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP in Calgary, where she was a member of the Corporate Commercial and Energy groups and acted for U.S. and Canadian clients on mergers, acquisitions and divestitures. Ms. Peters also managed large teams of lawyers from numerous firms on complex international transactions with values over $1 billion. Before then, she was an associate and a member of the Energy, Banking and Project Finance Practice groups with Macleod Dixon LLP in Calgary.
Since 2004, Ms. Peters has been an instructor of law topics of interest to the Canadian Association of Petroleum Landmen and the Canadian Association of Petroleum Land Administrators. Ms. Peters received her Bachelor of Laws from the University of Alberta in 2002 and was called to the Alberta Bar in July 2003. She resides in Calgary, Alberta.
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| Oilsands Quest Inc |
Vice President, Legal |
Current |
| Banking Corporation |
Board of Directors |
Former |
| Corporate and Commercial |
Board of Directors |
Former |
| University of Alberta |
Bachelor of Laws |
Former |
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| Oilsands Quest Inc |
Canwest Petroleum Corporation's Vice President of Corporate & Strategic Development |
Current |
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| Oilsands Quest Inc |
Vice President, Corp and Strategic |
Current |
Prior to joining Oilsands Quest Inc. in March 2008, Paul O'Donoghue was Vice President, Corporate & Strategic Development (and Corporate Secretary) of Trident Resources Corp. and Trident Exploration Corp., where he was a key member of senior management from Trident's inception in 2001. At Trident, Mr. O'Donoghue led a team that had overall responsibility for all corporate development matters, including financings, acquisitions/divestures, investor relations, risk management, marketing and legal affairs. During his time at Trident, production grew from zero at start-up to over 16,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day.
Prior to joining Trident, Mr. O'Donoghue held progressively senior positions in oil, gas and power businesses in Canada with Alberta Energy Company, Natural Gas Clearinghouse and PrimeWest Energy. At these firms, he concentrated on corporate finance, risk management and marketing.
Mr. O'Donoghue holds an MBA in Finance from the Rotman School of Business, University of Toronto (1990), and a BSc in Economics from Oklahoma City University (1984). He resides in Calgary, Alberta.
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| Oilsands Quest Inc |
Vice President, Investor Relations & Corporate Planning |
Current |
| Trident Resources Corp. |
Vice President, Corp & Strategic Development & Secretary |
Former |
| Trident Exploration Corp. |
Vice President, Development |
Former |
| University of Toronto |
MBA In Finance |
Former |
| Oklahoma City University |
Bsc In Economics |
Former |
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| Oilsands Quest Inc |
Vice President, Investor Relations & Corporate Planning |
Current |
| Trident Resources Corp. |
Vice President, Corporate & Strategic Development |
Former |
| Trident Exploration Corp. |
Vice President, Corporate & Strategic Development |
Former |
| University of Toronto |
MBA In Finance |
Former |
| Oklahoma City University |
Bsc In Economics |
Former |
Murray Wilson has been Chairman of the Board since May 1, 2006, and Executive Chairman since August 14, 2006.
During his 25 year investment banking career, Mr. Wilson has led numerous strategic and financing assignments for energy, mining, utilities and technology companies and has been a key advisor to a number of oil sands companies during their formative years.
Prior to founding Stanway Capital in 2001, Mr. Wilson was the Global Head of Oil & Gas for TD Securities Inc. in Calgary and Vice Chairman of TD Securities International in London, England. Prior to that, Mr. Wilson had a 17-year career with RBC Dominion Securities / Royal Bank of Canada focused on Mergers and Acquisitions, Equity and Debt Capital Markets and Project Finance. Mr. Wilson was Vice President and Director of RBC Dominion Securities, based in London, for several years. Previously, he was with Orion Royal Bank in London as Executive Director Mergers & Acquisitions and Head of Project Finance for Royal Bank's Global Energy and Minerals Group based in Calgary, which he joined in 1980.
Prior to his investment banking career, Mr. Wilson was involved in the oil and gas industry as a reservoir engineer, production engineer, project manager and economic advisor, primarily with Imperial Oil / Esso Resources.
Mr. Wilson serves on the board of the Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation, VirtuosoWorks, Notion Music and a number of other organizations. He holds a Master's Degree in Business from the Sloan School, M.I.T., a Master's in Engineering from the University of Manitoba (National Research Council Scholar), and a B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering (1st Class Honours - B.E.C. Joyce Medal) from Queen's University. A native Albertan, Mr. Wilson resides in Calgary, Alberta.
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| Oilsands Quest Inc |
Director, Executive Chairman |
Current |
| Notion Music, Ltd. |
Board of Directors |
Current |
| TD Securities, Inc. |
Managing Director |
Former |
| TD Securities, Inc. |
Global Head of Oil & Gas |
Former |
| Imperial Oil Limited |
Executive Professional |
Former |
| University of Manitoba |
Master's In Engineering |
Former |
| MIT Sloan School of Management |
Master's Degree In Business |
Former |
| Queen's University |
B.Sc. In Chemical Engineering |
Former |
Ron Phillips joined the board of directors of CanWest Petroleum Corporation as part of the company's combination with Oilsands Quest Inc. He joined the board of directors of Oilsands Quest in April 2006. Mr. Phillips has extensive experience in corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, and equity and debt market financings. He is a member of the New York, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. bars. Since 2002, he has served as portfolio manager of the DKR Saturn Event Driven Program. Prior to DKR, Mr. Phillips co-managed the Weiss, Peck & Greer Merger Arbitrage Fund. He resideds in Weston, Conneticut.
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| Oilsands Quest Inc |
Chairman |
Current |
| Admiral Bay Resources, Inc. |
Director |
Current |
| Oilsands Quest Inc |
Board of Directors |
Current |
| Governance, Inc. |
Board of Directors |
Current |
Mr. Tallman retired as the Senior Vice President, Prairies Region of Royal Bank of Canada in 2002, after a career spanning 41 years. Some of Mr. Tallman's key management responsibilities with the Royal Bank included Senior Vice President Lending Risk Management Group, Senior Assistant Manager, Vancouver Branch, Senior Vice President, Prairies, Vice President, Global Energy Group and Vice President, Commercial Banking & National Accounts. Mr. Tallman is also a director of the following public issuers: Big Rock Brewery Ltd. (a subsidiary of Big Rock Brewery Income Trust), Canada Utilities Limited, CV Technologies Inc. and PFB Corporation.
John Read has been a Company Director since October 11, 2007 and has served as a member of the Company s Compensation and Reserves and Resources Committees since that time. In 1970, Mr. Read began his career in the oil and gas industry with Shell Canada and then Texaco Exploration Canada. In 1974, he joined Colt Engineering Ltd., a private, start-up engineering organization where he held engineering and management positions. In 1983 he became President and Chief Executive Officer of the organization. He was Chief Executive Officer from 1999 until his retirement in early 2006. Mr. Read remained a partner and director of The Colt Companies until March 2007, when Colt was acquired by Worley Parsons Limited, a worldwide engineering and project management organization. Mr. Read is a member of the World Presidents Organization and the Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists and Geophysicists of Alberta. Mr. Read serves as a director on the boards of Axia Netmedia Corporation and PFB Corporation, both of which are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| Axia NetMedia Corporation |
Board of Directors |
Current |
| Oilsands Quest Inc |
Board of Directors |
Current |
| Colt Engineering Corporation |
|
Former |
| Shell Canada Limited |
|
Former |
| University of Saskatchewan |
|
Former |
The Honourable Pamela Wallin has been a director of the Company since June 28, 2007. The career of the Saskatchewan-born journalist, diplomat and entrepreneur spans more than 30 years and several continents. Ms. Wallin was appointed to the Senate of Canada and is the Senior Advisor to the President of the Americas Society and the Council of the Americas in New York. From 2002 to 2006, she was the Canadian Consul General in New York. She also serves as Chancellor of the University of Guelph.
Ms. Wallin served on the Government of Canada's five-member panel to advise on the future involvement of Canada in Afghanistan. She serves on several corporate boards, including CTVglobemedia, Canada's premier multimedia company, Gluskin Sheff & Associates, a wealth management firm and Porter Airlines, a regional passenger airline. A member of a special Advisory Board for BMO Harris Private Banking, she also serves on many volunteer boards and is the Honourary Co-Chair of the Nature Conservancy of Canada.
Ms. Wallin has honorary doctorates from 13 Canadian universities, including the University of Regina, from which she graduated in 1973 with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Psychology and Political Science.
Among many other honours, Ms. Wallin was named to the Canadian Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2002. She was the Distinguished Honoree of the Canadian Society of New York in 2003 and received a national Visionary Award in Canada in 2004. Ms. Wallin has been recognized twice by Queen Elizabeth II for her public service and achievements. She resides in New York City and Toronto.
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| The Nature Conservancy |
Co-Chair |
Former |
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| Oilsands Quest Inc |
Board of Directors |
Current |
| Shell Canada Limited |
Chief Financial Officer |
Former |
| Royal Dutch Shell plc |
Executive Vice President, Finance, Global Downstream |
Former |
| Shell Canada Limited |
Vice President, Human Resources & Public Affairs |
Former |
W. Scott Thompson has been a director of the Company from August 14, 2006 to April 30, 2007, and from June 28, 2007 to present. Mr. Thompson is the Chair of the Company s Resources and Reserves Committee. Mr. Thompson was a former director of Oilsands Quest Sask Inc. from June 2005 to August 2006. Mr. Thompson has over 25 years of experience in the oil and gas industry. He has been President and a director of Clear Creek Oil & Gas, Inc., a natural gas exploration company, since November 2000. From March 2005 to present, Mr. Thompson has acted as Secretary/Treasurer and director of Forster Drilling Corporation, which builds land drilling rigs and provides contract drilling services to oil and gas exploration and production companies. From May 2005 to present, Mr. Thompson has been President and director of Harris-Forbes, Inc., an investment banking company to the energy sector. Since 1998, Mr. Thompson has been the president and a director of Process Technology Systems, Inc. Mr. Thompson was president and a director of Eurotrade Financial, Inc., an investment banking company, from June 1993 to May 2005.
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| Oilsands Quest Inc |
Board of Directors |
Current |
| Forster Drilling Corp |
Board of Directors |
Current |
| Forster Drilling Corp |
President |
Former |
| Geosearch |
Partner |
Former |
| The University of Texas at Austin |
Bba |
Former |
W. Scott Thompson has been a director of the Company from August 14, 2006 to April 30, 2007, and from June 28, 2007 to present. Mr. Thompson is the Chair of the Company s Resources and Reserves Committee. Mr. Thompson was a former director of Oilsands Quest Sask Inc. from June 2005 to August 2006. Mr. Thompson has over 25 years of experience in the oil and gas industry. He has been President and a director of Clear Creek Oil & Gas, Inc., a natural gas exploration company, since November 2000. From March 2005 to present, Mr. Thompson has acted as Secretary/Treasurer and director of Forster Drilling Corporation, which builds land drilling rigs and provides contract drilling services to oil and gas exploration and production companies. From May 2005 to present, Mr. Thompson has been President and director of Harris-Forbes, Inc., an investment banking company to the energy sector. Since 1998, Mr. Thompson has been the president and a director of Process Technology Systems, Inc. Mr. Thompson was president and a director of Eurotrade Financial, Inc., an investment banking company, from June 1993 to May 2005.
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| Forster Drilling Corp |
President |
Current |
| Town of North Hempstead |
Coach |
Current |
| The University of Texas |
|
Current |
| Oilsands Quest Inc |
Director |
Current |
| Forster Drilling Corp |
Director |
Current |
| Industrial.Com, Inc. |
Head Baseball Coach |
Former |
| Flower Mound |
|
Former |
| The University of Texas at Austin |
Bba |
Former |
Executive News
-
Oilsands Quest and Birch Narrows Dene Nation reach formal agreement
Reuters - 7/15/09 - View Story
-
Oilsands Quest and Birch Narrows Dene Nation reach formal agreement
TradingMarkets - 7/15/09 - View Story
-
Oilsands Quest gains support of local Indians
Stockwatch - 7/15/09 - View Story
-
Oilsands Quest and Birch Narrows Dene Nation reach formal agreement
PR Newswire - 7/15/09 - View Story
-
Downturn in oil price has its blessings
Financial Post - 7/08/09 - View Story
-
Oilsands Quest Provides Bitumen Resource Estimate Update and Possible Mining Interest Spin Off
PR Newswire - 7/08/09 - View Story
-
Oilsands Quest president Fitzgibbon resigns
Stockwatch - 7/07/09 - View Story
-
Market Report -- In Play (BQI)
Briefing.com via MSN Money - 7/07/09 - View Story
-
Oilsands Quest announces resignation and participation at conference
Sys-Con Canada - 7/07/09 - View Story
-
Oilsands Quest President And COO Jamey Fitzgibbon Resigns - Quick Facts
RTTNews.com - 7/07/09 - View Story
-
Oilsands Quest announces resignation and participation at conference
Globe Investor - 7/07/09 - View Story
-
Oilsands Quest announces resignation and participation at conference
Yahoo! Canada - 7/07/09 - View Story