Leadership

Mr. Guidry is a professional engineer and has more than 40 years of experience developing and maximizing assets in the international oil and gas industry. Mr. Guidry has direct experience managing large, international projects, including assets in Latin America, Africa, the Middle-East and Asia. Prior to joining Gran Tierra, Mr. Guidry was the President and Chief Executive Officer of Caracal Energy Inc., a London Stock Exchange listed oil and gas company with operations in Chad, Africa. He held that position from mid-2011 until the company was acquired by Glencore plc for $1.8 billion in mid-2014. In 2014, Mr. Guidry was awarded the Oil Council Executive of the Year award for his leadership role with Caracal. Prior to Caracal, Mr. Guidry was the President and Chief Executive Officer of Orion Oil and Gas (TSX listed), which operated in western Canada from mid-2009 until mid-2011 when it was merged. From May 2005 until December 2008, he was the President and Chief Executive Officer of Tanganyika Oil Company (TSX listed) which operated in Syria and Egypt. Prior to Tanganyika, Mr. Guidry was Chief Executive Officer of Calpine Natural Gas Trust. Mr. Guidry is an Alberta-registered Professional Engineer and a member of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists. He received a Bachelor of Science in Petroleum Engineering from Texas A&M University in 1980.

Mr. Hodgins has been a corporate director and independent businessman since November 2004. Prior thereto, Mr. Hodgins served as the Chief Financial Officer of Pengrowth Energy Trust (a Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) and NYSE-listed energy trust) from 2002 to 2004. Prior to that, Mr. Hodgins held the position of Vice President and Treasurer of Canadian Pacific Limited (a TSX and NYSE- listed diversified energy, transportation and hotels company) from 1998 to 2002 and was Chief Financial Officer of TransCanada PipeLines Limited (a TSX and NYSE-listed energy transportation company) from 1993 to 1998. Mr. Hodgins also served as a non-executive, part-time position of Senior Advisor, Investment Banking at Canacord Genuity Corp. At present, Mr. Hodgins serves as a director of AltaGas Ltd., and MEG Energy Corp. Mr. Hodgins received an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Business from the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario and received a Chartered Professional Accountant designation and was admitted as a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario in 1977 and Alberta in 1991. Mr. Hodgins is a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors and of the National Association of Corporate Directors.

Mr. Dey has been the Chairman of Paradigm Capital Inc., an investment dealer, since November 2005. Mr. Dey was a Partner of the Toronto law firm Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, where he specialized in corporate board issues and mergers and acquisitions, from 2001 to 2005, and prior to that from 1985 to 1994 and from 1973 to 1983. From 1994 to 2001, Mr. Dey was Chairman of Morgan Stanley Canada Limited. From 1993 to 1995, Mr. Dey chaired The Toronto Stock Exchange Committee on Corporate Governance in Canada that released the December 1994 report entitled “Where Were the Directors?”, known as the Dey Report and is the co-author of the report released in 2021: “360 Degree Governance: Where are the Directors in a World of Crisis”. Mr. Dey has also served as Chairman of the Ontario Securities Commission and was Canada’s representative to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (“OECD”) Task Force that developed the OECD Principles of Corporate Governance released in May of 1999. Mr. Dey attended Queen’s University, where he earned his Bachelor of Science in 1963 and Dalhousie University, where he earned his Bachelor of Laws degree in 1966. He received his Master of Laws degree from Harvard University in 1967.

Mr. Hazell has been an independent businessman since 2011. He has been involved in the global oil and gas industry for approximately 40 years, initially as a petroleum engineer and then as an investment banker. From 1998 to 2011, Mr. Hazell acted as a managing director at several financial institutions including HSBC Global Investment Bank and RBC Capital Markets. At present he serves as a director of Courser Energy Ltd (formerly Kaisen Energy Corp) and as an Advisor to Pacific Opera Victoria. Mr. Hazell holds a Bachelor of Applied Science degree from Queen’s University, a Master of Engineering degree from the University of Calgary, and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Michigan, and is licensed as a Professional Engineer in Alberta.

Ms. Redford serves as an advisor to national governments and ministries in emerging economies on regulatory reform to promote transparency and investor confidence. She provides independent advice on the creation of regulatory regimes related to climate, social and governance sustainability most recently in Pakistan, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Guyana. Separately, Ms. Redford also serves as a strategic advisor to public companies operating in volatile political climates to assess risk and ensure regulatory compliance, particularly as it relates to Extractive Industries Transparency Initiatives and Community Benefits Agreements for affected Indigenous people. Previously, Ms. Redford served as Premier of Alberta from 2011 to 2014 and as Minister of Justice and Attorney General from 2008. She graduated from the College of Law at the University of Saskatchewan (1988) and also obtained a Master of Arts degree from the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London (2021). Ms. Redford was appointed King’s Counsel in 2008. Ms. Redford is a holder of the Institute of Corporate Directors Director designation.

Mr. Royal has been an independent businessman since April 2007. Mr. Royal has more than 35 years of experience with Imperial Oil Ltd. and ExxonMobil’s international upstream affiliates. From 2011 to 2014, he served on the board of directors of Caracal Energy Inc., and prior to 2010, several other boards of private oil companies. Prior to retiring in 2007, Mr. Royal was President and Production Manager of Esso Exploration and Production Chad Inc. and resided in N’Djamena, Chad from 2002 to 2007. In 2003, he was awarded the title “Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Chad” for his contribution to the economic development of Chad. Mr. Royal received his Bachelor of Applied Science from the University of British Columbia in 1972 and completed the Executive Development Program at Cornell University in 1986. He has been a member of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta since 1972.

Ms. Scott is an independent businesswoman with more than 25 years of experience as an energy and risk analytics business leader. Ms. Scott is currently CEO of RetailStat, a retail data and analytics information services company, a position she has held since 2022. She was formerly Chief Executive Officer for U.S. and Europe of ADEC Innovations, a leading ESG information and consulting firm where she led a team of professionals providing ESG, environmental and sustainability technical, software and strategy solutions. Prior to this, Ms. Scott was Chief Operating Officer of Verisk Financial, a global data analytics provider, where she was responsible for leading the company’s global operations team in support their range of portfolio, bankruptcy, fraud and spend solutions. Before joining Verisk Financial in 2020, Ms. Scott was President of Verisk Maplecroft, a leading risk analytics company. Prior to this, Ms. Scott filled a number of roles at Wood Mackenzie, a global research and consultancy group, over a 13-year period. Her most recent position was head of Global Markets where she led a team focusing on macro energy economics and risk. Previously, Ms. Scott led Wood Mackenzie’s energy consultancy practice. Ms. Scott holds a Master of Science, Petroleum Engineering and Economics degree from a joint program with the University of Pennsylvania and the Institut Francais du Petrole (IFP) and received a Bachelor of Arts, Economics and Earth Sciences degree from Wesleyan University.

Mr. Smith is a corporate director with extensive experience in the investment banking, investment research and management industry. He has been the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Superior Plus Corp., a North American propane distributor, since August 2014. From March 2004 to August 2015, Mr. Smith served as Chair of the Audit Committee of Superior Plus Corp. Previously, Mr. Smith was Managing Partner of Enterprise Capital Management Inc. from 1997 to 2011. Mr. Smith is a Chartered Financial Analyst and graduated with honors from the University of Western Ontario with a degree in Business Administration in 1981.

Mr. Wade is the President of Wade Capital Corporation, a private investment company active in private equity, oil and gas, real estate and industrial businesses, and energy storage technology. From 1994 until 2005, Mr. Wade was the co-founder and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Acetex Corporation, a publicly traded chemical company specializing in acetyls, specialty polymers, and films. In July 2005, Acetex was acquired by Blackstone. Prior to founding Acetex Corporation, Mr. Wade was founding President and Chief Executive Officer of Methanex Corporation. In 1991, Ocelot Industries spun out its oil and gas assets and began a plan of growth through acquisition into what is today Methanex Corporation—the world’s largest methanol producer. Prior to joining Ocelot, he was involved in a number of independent business ventures. Mr. Wade serves on the boards of several private companies including Atlas Power Technologies Inc., Belkin Enterprises Ltd., and Big Bold Health Corporation. He is a member of the Advisory Board of Northbridge Capital Partners and is a participant of AEA Investors groups of funds. Mr. Wade earned a Bachelor of Commerce Degree from the University of Calgary in 1974 and received his Chartered Accountant designation in 1977. In 2012, Mr. Wade became a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of British Columbia.

Mr. Guidry is a professional engineer and has more than 40 years of experience developing and maximizing assets in the international oil and gas industry. Mr. Guidry has direct experience managing large, international projects, including assets in Latin America, Africa, the Middle-East and Asia. Prior to joining Gran Tierra, Mr. Guidry was the President and Chief Executive Officer of Caracal Energy Inc., a London Stock Exchange listed oil and gas company with operations in Chad, Africa. He held that position from mid-2011 until the company was acquired by Glencore plc for $1.8 billion in mid-2014. In 2014, Mr. Guidry was awarded the Oil Council Executive of the Year award for his leadership role with Caracal. Prior to Caracal, Mr. Guidry was the President and Chief Executive Officer of Orion Oil and Gas (TSX listed), which operated in western Canada from mid-2009 until mid-2011 when it was merged. From May 2005 until December 2008, he was the President and Chief Executive Officer of Tanganyika Oil Company (TSX listed) which operated in Syria and Egypt. Prior to Tanganyika, Mr. Guidry was Chief Executive Officer of Calpine Natural Gas Trust. Mr. Guidry is an Alberta-registered Professional Engineer and a member of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists. He received a Bachelor of Science in Petroleum Engineering from Texas A&M University in 1980.

Ryan Ellson has over 22 years of experience in a broad range of international corporate finance and accounting roles. Most recently, he was Head of Finance for Glencore E&P (Canada) Inc. and prior thereto Vice President, Finance at Caracal Energy Inc., a London Stock Exchange listed company with operations in Chad, Africa. Glencore E&P (Canada) purchased Caracal in July 2014. Prior to Caracal, Mr. Ellson held several management and executive positions with companies operating in Egypt, India and Canada. Over his career he has been involved in raising over $2 billion in debt and equity and multiple mergers and acquisitions totaling over $3 billion. Mr. Ellson is a Chartered Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Commerce and a Master of Professional Accounting from the University of Saskatchewan. He has completed the Leadership for Senior Executives program at Harvard Business School and the General Management Program at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Ellson is currently a Director of Canary Biofuels Inc.

Mr. Morin was appointed as Gran Tierra’s Chief Operations Officer on November 6, 2023. Mr. Morin has more than 20 years of experience in the oil and gas industry in various management positions. Prior to his appointment as Chief Operating Officer of the Company, Mr. Morin served as President and Chief Operating Officer at WesternZagros Resources, a privately-owned petroleum operating company with production sharing contracts in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, from October 2021 to October 2023. Prior to his role at WesternZagros, Mr. Morin was Vice President Global Drilling and Completions at Gran Tierra, leading up to that he held progressively more senior positions at Gran Tierra in Colombia and in the Corporate Office in Calgary from August 2014 to September 2021. From May 2001 to July 2014, Mr. Morin worked at Imperial Oil (Esso) and ExxonMobil, where he achieved more senior technical and managerial positions in upstream and downstream including roles in drilling and completions, reservoir development, production, customer service and distribution, mostly onshore but also with experience offshore in the Gulf of Mexico. Mr. Morin has a Bachelor of Science degree in Geological Engineering from the University of Waterloo in 2001.

Phillip Abraham has been with Gran Tierra in a variety of roles since January 2016 and, in addition to his current role as Vice President, Legal and Land, is also Gran Tierra’s Corporate Secretary. He is a lawyer with over 25 years of corporate and legal experience. His legal experience includes positions at prominent law firms and is broadly based with a focus on international oil and gas law. Mr. Abraham’s corporate experience extends to a variety of leadership positions with Cenovus Energy, Encana Corporation and Nexen Inc. His experience in oil and gas includes onshore and offshore projects around the world in Canada, Latin America, Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Mr. Abraham is a member of Law Society of Alberta, holds both a B.A. and an LL.M. from the University of Calgary and a LL.B. from the University of Victoria, and was first called to the bar in British Columbia in 1997. He is credited as the author of various publications and has presented in numerous professional forums.

Mr. Hands has over three decades of expertise in well construction and operations within the energy industry. Graduating from SAIT in Drilling Technology in 1988 and subsequently earning a BSc in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Alberta in 1991, his professional journey has spanned the globe. His career began at Schlumberger, where he refined his skills in well construction, stimulation, completion, and project management from 1991 to 2002, living and working in diverse countries such as Italy, Scotland, the US, Norway, Angola, and Russia. Transitioning to self-employed consulting from 2002 to 2010, he exclusively served BP Canada Energy as a completion engineer and wellsite supervisor, consistently delivering excellence. Joining Apache Canada in 2010, he had pivotal roles including Completions Superintendent, Completions Manager, and D&C Manager until Paramount Resources’ acquisition of Apache assets in 2017, entrusting him with southern region D&C management responsibilities. In June 2019, he moved to Gran Tierra Energy, where he served as Completions Director, VP D&C, and now, as the Vice President of Operations. Throughout his career, Mr. Hands has demonstrated unwavering commitment to operational excellence, capital efficiency, and effective team leadership.

Jim Evans has over 30 years of experience including working the last 18 years in the international oil and gas industry. Most recently Mr. Evans was the Head of Compliance & Corporate Services for Glencore E&P (Canada) and prior thereto Vice President of Compliance & Corporate Services at Caracal Energy where he oversaw the execution of corporate strategy and goals, developed and implemented a robust corporate compliance program, and managed all aspects of IT, document control, security and administration. Mr. Evans also managed the recruitment, training and retention of staff in both Calgary and Chad. He oversaw the growth of the Company from seven employees to in excess of 400 as Caracal Energy exceeded 20,000 barrels of oil per day at the time of sale to Glencore. Prior to Caracal, Mr. Evans held senior management and executive positions at Orion Oil and Gas and Tanganyika Oil, with operating experience in Egypt, Syria and Canada. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Calgary.

Diego Perez-Claramunt has over 26 years of experience in the international oil and gas industry and has held numerous senior executive positions within the area of Health, Safety, Environment and Social Performance. In previous roles at Shell, he worked in the Middle East, North Africa and Africa, overseeing Social and Environmental activities and implementing numerous community development programs in these regions. Most recently, he has successfully led Gran Tierra’s HSE, CSR and Licensing teams as the Director, undertaking respectful community engagement and establishing lasting stakeholder relationships. Mr. Perez-Claramunt holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management, Marketing and Related Support Services from the Instituto de Ciencias del Mercado, and he completed MIT’s Executive Program for General Management.

Lawrence West has 43 years of experience as an executive, explorationist, and geologist and is the current Vice President of Exploration at Gran Tierra Energy where multiple drilling and seismic programs have been executed with a multi-disciplinary team, in the prolific Oriente (Ecuador – Colombia), Middle Magdelena, and Llanos Basins (Colombia). Recently there have been material oil discoveries in Ecuador and Southern Putumayo. Mr. West was previously the VP of Exploration at Caracal Energy, where the team assessed resources and grew reserves in the interior rift basins in Chad, led a successful exploration drilling program and oversaw two large 2D/3D seismic shoots in remote frontier basins. Prior to Caracal he was involved with starting and growing several public and private companies, including Reserve Royalty Corp., Chariot Energy, Auriga Energy and Orion Oil and Gas. Mr. West worked at the Alberta Energy Company (AEC), where he was on the team that merged with Conwest. He built and led the AEC East team into an expanded Canadian presence, and the Rocky Mountain USA basins. His career began with Imperial Oil working on prospect and reservoir characterization, in multi-disciplinary teams, and as a technical mentor to exploration teams. Mr. West has an Honours Bachelor of Science in Geology from McMaster University, and an MBA, specializing in economics from the University of Calgary.

Manuel Buitrago has over 20 years of experience in a broad range of international management, corporate finance, and business development roles working for publicly listed companies. Most recently, Mr. Buitrago was the President and Country Manager for Gran Tierra Energy Mexico and prior to that he was the Senior Finance Manager for Gran Tierra Energy in Colombia. Previously he was the CFO of PetroTiger from 2010 to 2014. Prior to, he held positions of increasing responsibility with British Petroleum in the UK and Europe, Occidental Petroleum in Colombia and MPX and OGX entities in Colombia and Brazil. Mr. Buitrago has a Bachelor of Business Administration degree, with a major in International Business from Schiller International University, earning the Dean’s List recognition, and holds a Post Graduate Degree in International Accounting from Javeriana University in Colombia. Mr. Buitrago received his Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Temple University receiving the Distinguished Scholar award. He also earned an MBA at Javeriana University, receiving the academic Order of Merit. He has furthered executive education studies in oil and gas, management, finance and M&A at the University of Chicago, the London School of Economics, Thunderbird University, the University of Texas at Austin, and Northwestern University.

Enrique Villalobos has 28 years of international experience in Oil and Gas E&P in North Africa, Europe and Latin America. Prior to joining Gran Tierra Energy in 2014, Mr. Villalobos worked at Repsol and ExxonMobil in several positions. His experience in these positions ranged from light oil and gas large field development planning in Libya, to business development in Europe, Asia and Africa. In these former roles he also led the operations for the exploration of unconventionals in Morocco and Colombia, managed large technical teams responsible for cost effective full field development and operations of light to heavy remote oilfields onshore Colombia and Venezuela. Mr. Villalobos has also been a post-graduate university professor at the Universidad de Los Andes in Bogota, Colombia and the Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Ecuador. He has an Oil and Gas MBA from the Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen Scotland, UK, where he graduated with Merit as well as a degree in Petroleum Engineering from Universidad de America in Bogota, Colombia.