In conjunction with its listing on the Toronto Stock Exchange in 2002, Calvalley Petroleum Inc. developed a Code of Conduct, Reserves Evaluation policy, Health & Safety and Environmental policies along with other governance mandates to ensure appropriately high levels of performance. As a private company since 2015, we are proud at Calvalley to continue to govern ourselves by these high standards.
Board of Directors
Ahmed Nabil Saeed
Chairman
Ahmed Nabil Saeed has been responsible for leading the transformation of Calvalley into the thriving business it is today. He led the initiative to restart production in Block 9, engaging with a complex set of international stakeholders to successfully see production resumed in under three years.
Ahmed was also responsible for restructuring Calvalley’s management, bringing in fresh expertise and experience, developing strategic partnerships and securing funding. He directs the company's finances, including managing accounts to international standards.
Ahmed is an experienced leader who puts people and potential first. His goal is to build an organisation that understands, embraces and supports society with the challenges it faces, and adds value to society in a way that tackles these challenges in the long term.
Ahmed’s expertise and perspective is informed by his professional experience at Deloitte Canada, the HSA Group and several NGOs. His educational background includes a Masters degree in International Business from Hult Business School, a Bachelors degree in Business (Finance) from Concordia University, and he is currently studying for an additional certification as a financial analyst.
Thomas E. Valentine
General Counsel
David Mitchell
Mr David Mitchell is a successful oil and gas executive with more than 35 years proven track record in the international arena, including with BP and Nexen.
During this time, David discovered and built projects with his teams in the Middle East, West Africa, Latin America and the North Sea. He has lived and worked in a number of countries, including a year with BP Egypt. He was appointed CEO of Madison PetroGas on joining in 2008, building the company prior to the merger with Sea Dragon Energy.
David received his BSc Honours, Geology from the University of London and his MPhil Mining Engineering from the University of Nottingham, UK.
Paul R. Baay
Mr. Paul Baay has been a Director, President and Chief Executive Officer of Touchstone Exploration Inc. since May 2014 and has over 25 years of experience leading oil and gas exploration and production companies.
Paul was formerly the Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of Touchstone Energy Inc. from July 2010 to May 2014. Prior to this, he was Managing Director of Abacus Energy, part of Abacus
Private Equity, from 2007 through 2010 and was a senior officer of True Energy Inc. from 2000 through 2007.
From 1998 to 2000 Paul was the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Request Seismic Surveys Ltd. and served as a Director, President and Chief Executive Officer of Remington Energy Ltd. from 1991 to 1999.
Paul holds an ICD.D designation as a certified corporate director.
Harant Shimoon
Operations General Manager
Harant Shimoon is currently Calvalley’s acting General Manager in Sana’a, having joined the Yemen team in 2003 for the construction of its central processing facility after a decade working with Calvalley Petroleum Inc. in Canada.
Harant builds on a long and successful career working hands-on in various oil and gas related construction projects and management, beginning with Power Plant in Ft. McMurray in 1974, then moving to Bechtel Canada for the construction of the Syncrude oil sand plant. In 1993, he joined CPI, later the parent company of Calvalley, on projects for the construction and operation of a sour gas plant and related oil production facilities in Rainbow Lake, Alberta.
Harant Shimoon is a graduate of Southern Alberta Institute of Technology.
Tarek Yousri
Chief Financial Officer
Tarek Yousri has over 29 years’ experience in auditing and accounting with almost a quarter of a century dedicated to oil and gas accounting, encompassing extensive sector-specific experience of international Production Sharing Agreement projects and finance and a long record of accomplishments in upstream operations in the Egyptian market.Tarek joined Calvalley from Edison International S.p.A. Exploration & Production (formerly under EDF Group),where he worked as Deputy Finance General Manager in its joint operating company, Abu Qir Petroleum Co., for over three years in Alexandria. Mr. Yousri also previously held senior positions at OMV and LUKOIL, and has worked with Cargill, Johnson & Johnson and Arthur Andersen S.C.Tarek is a Chartered Accountant (Egypt) and holds a BSc in Accounting and Auditing from Alexandria University.
Management Team
Galina Markarova, MSc, PhD
Exploration & Development General Manager
Galina Markarova leads the company’s exploration and development team, having made a number of oil discoveries in Block 9, Yemen and built a strong exploration portfolio for Calvalley over 14 years.
She brings over 35 years of oil and gas industry experience to Calvalley, having previously worked with North American and Russian oil companies including EnCana and Rosneft.
Galina’s expertise includes seismic acquisition, geophysical and geological interpretation and sedimentary basins analysis, with a proven track record in exploration, exploitation and new business development. She has discovered 17 commercially viable hydrocarbon fields in the Middle East, Central Asia and Europe, and identified and led evaluations of new exploration and production ventures worldwide.
Galina Markarova’s qualifications include a doctorate in Geophysics and Geology from Moscow State University and an MSc degree in Geophysics, Geology and Petrochemistry from Gubkin University of Oil and Gas. She is a registered Professional Geoscientist in Alberta, a member of the Canadian Society of Exploration Geophysicists, and a member of the European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers.
Ashraf Abdelkhalek
Projects & Facilities General Manager
Ashraf Abdelkhalek has extensive and varied knowledge in managing oil and gas projects and facilities, with over 30 years of industry experience in offshore and onshore construction and pipeline management, including production operations and the design and installation of new facilities.
Ashraf’s roles have included responsibility for the devising of innovative solutions and implementation of new facilities and services in oil and gas operations, in particular the installation of production equipment, well flow lines, trunk lines and shipping pipelines for Egyptian oil and gas fields.
Ashraf Abdelkhalek joined Calvalley in August 2018. His previous roles include 12 years in construction projects mostly gained at Vegas Oil & Gas S.A., NPIC and SDX Energy. Prior to that, he worked with Apache and RWE.
hern Alberta Institute of Technology
