Sonor's Management
•Richard Wadsworth
President & Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Wadsworth has more than 18 years of successful experience in developing heavy oil projects. He has been involved in various projects where there was little production, poor infrastructure or markets for heavy oil, growing them into significant assets through his vision and operational strengths. He was Co-Founder, President and COO of Bankers Petroleum Ltd. (“Bankers”), an oil and gas exploration, development and production company listed on the TSX & AIM, from its inception in 2004 until August 2008. During this period, he led Bankers in re-developing its heavy oilfield, building a comprehensive team, the necessary infrastructure and external relationships resulting in reserves growing to over 150 million barrels and production from 500 bopd to over 6,000 bopd.
Mr. Wadsworth previously led and managed a joint venture company for the initial exploitation of the current Bankers oilfield in Albania on behalf of Premier Oil Plc and its three international E&P partners. Previously, he held various roles within Koch Petroleum Canada over 9 years mainly in the heavy oil sector. Mr. Wadsworth is also a Director for Gallic Energy Ltd., a junior public oil & gas company with international assets. Mr. Wadsworth holds a Chemical Engineering degree from the University of Calgary, and is a registered Professional Engineer with APEGGA.
•Brian Farrell
Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Farrell is a chartered accountant with 25 years of experience in Alberta. Mr. Farrell is extremely active in the business community in Alberta and is a partner in the firm of Meyers Norris Penny LLP. Mr. Farrell was previously Chief Financial Officer of both Prize Mining Corporation and Mexican Silver Mines Inc.
•Dick ter Avest
Chief Operating Officer
Mr. ter Avest has twenty years of international oil and gas experience, of which 14 years where spent with Shell in several senior management roles in the Middle East, Europe and Asia Pacific. He was recently the CEO of Advanced Well Technologies and prior to that was with Woodside Energy and Shell. His accomplishments include growing Petroleum Development Oman’s (“PDO”) Qarn Alam assets, doubling production to 90,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd) within 3 years, leading field development of a US$1 billion offshore oilfield for Woodside Energy, and re-starting the stranded 400 million barrel Vincent heavy oil offshore field with Woodside. Mr. ter Avest has also successfully led oil and gas field acquisitions and divestments with values up to US$500 million.
•Robin Hamersma
Chief Business Development Officer
Mr. Hamersma has over twenty years of international oil and gas experience in technical, procurement, petroleum economics, commercial and leadership positions. Most recently he was commercial manager in Netherland’s largest operated oil and gas company, NAM, where he was responsible for joint venture management, infrastructure and equity deals, commercial agreements and managing relationships with joint venture partners, governments and other stakeholders. Previously he held various senior positions in Europe and the Middle East with Shell UK E&P and PDO. His accomplishments include implementing new multi-lateral drilling and completion technologies in the North Sea, developing tender strategies, negotiating and managing local and global supplier agreements (US$ 300 million) for PDO and the Shell Group and delivering various unitization, acquisition and divestiture and equity type deals for NAM and Shell UK.
•Robert Sandor
Chief Development Officer
Mr. Sandor is an E&P professional with twenty years experience in technical, commercial and managerial positions with Shell, working in Europe, Asia and West Africa. Most recently, he was a member of Shell’s corporate strategy group. He has a proven track record in operational asset management, project management, and oil and gas field development. Mr. Sandor’s career highlights include commercialization of a 1 Tcf offshore tight gas opportunity applying proven onshore fracturing technology, taking several infrastructure rejuvenation projects to commerciality (US$ 500 million) and leading both green field and brown field redevelopment projects, including their integration into existing infrastructure.
•Quinton Rafuse, P.Geol
Chief of Exploration
Mr. Rafuse is a professional geologist with over ten years of experience in the oil and gas industry in various technical and leadership roles. Most recently, he helped establish 3P International Energy Corp. and the acquisition of its Ukrainian assets. Formerly, Mr. Rafuse was CEO of Avere Energy Ltd. (now named East West Petroleum) when it successfully won 4 of 11 blocks in Romania’s last bid round in June 2010. His previous experience includes Vice-President Geoscience for Ember Resources Inc., where production increased from 300 boepd to 5,000 barrels of boepd during his tenure. Prior to that Mr. Rafuse worked as a geologist for Thunder Energy Inc. and EnCana Corporation.
•Dale Styner, CFA
Corporate Secretary
Mr. Styner has 20 years of legal, merchant banking and investment banking experience. Mr. Styner’s efforts with the Company are focused on strategy, finance and business development. Mr. Styner has extensive finance and business development expertise, including five years of investment banking experience at Canaccord Adams advising and raising capital for energy companies. Mr. Styner is a CFA Charterholder and was a professional squash player before entering the business world.
•Art Agolli
Consultant
Mr. Agolli was a co-founder of Bankers Petroleum Ltd. along with Mr. Wadsworth. Mr. Agolli was previously with Koch and the World Bank, and is his efforts with the Company are focused on business development.
•Claudio Arato, B.Sc., B.A.Sc., P.Eng
Director Engineering & Technology
Mr. Arato is a double graduate from the University of British Columbia in Canada, with degrees in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering. Over 19 years, Claudio has worked on commercializing novel, clean technologies ranging from commissioning the first successful closed loop pulp mill to developing pilot and commercial applications in nanotechnology, fuel cells, catalysts, biorefineries and water treatment (industrial , municipal, animal waste) and heavy oil upgrading.
Prior to joining Sonoro, he obtained three patents and has delivered technical presentations and completed projects throughout North America and Mexico including risk and process safety management services. His work with cellulosic ethanol technology development led to receiving the 2003 Canadian Institute of Energy (BC) R&D award.
Since joining Sonoro in 2006, he is engaged in the day-to-day management of all engineering and technical project development functions, from team management to R&D and process design and commissioning, focused on maximizing opportunities for the Sonoro applications pipeline.
He is extensively involved in the professional community through the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of BC (APEGBC), a three-term elected Councilor, sustainability & ethics instructor and member of many task forces & committees. Claudio was a founding board member of the Cascadia Prosperity Forum, a board member of the Consulting Engineers of BC and is the recipient of the 2010 D.C. Lambert President's Award for Professional Service.