STAR ENERGY GROUP - Key Persons


Ann-marie Wilkinson - CCO

Job Titles:
  • Chief Communications Officer
  • Member of the Executive Committee
Appointed in 2013, Ann-marie is a communications and investor relations professional with over 25 years' experience in providing advice on both external and internal communications strategies. Ann-marie has advised many energy sector companies as a financial public relations and corporate relations consultant having previously worked at M Communications, Bell Pottinger and Beattie Media. She also worked as a PRO at Smith New Court having joined from the Corporate Finance department at Touche Ross.

Chris Hopkinson - CEO

Job Titles:
  • Chief Executive Officer
  • Member of the Board of Directors
  • Member of the Executive Committee
  • Non - Executive Chairman of Enwell Energy
Chris began his career with Shell International, followed by technical and management roles with Yukos and Lukoil Overseas, before becoming Chief Executive Officer of Imperial Energy Group up until its acquisition by ONGC in 2009. He was then Vice-President Western Siberia for TNKBP, Senior Vice-President North Africa for BG Group, Chief Executive Officer of International Petroleum Limited, and Chief Operating Officer for JSC National Company KazMunayGas. Chris is currently Non-executive Chairman of Enwell Energy, an AIM-quoted oil and gas exploration and production group, and a Non-executive Director of Nostrum Oil and Gas plc. He is also the founder of Astra Resources Management. Chris holds a BSc Honours degree in Applied Physics from St Andrews University.

Doug Fleming

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Directors
  • Non - Executive Director
Doug was Chief Financial Officer at private equity backed Siccar Point Energy, an E&P company with assets in the UK sector of the North Sea. Doug was part of the team that founded the business in 2014. Siccar Point Energy went from start-up in 2014 to production of c.9,000 boepd in 2021 before being sold to Ithaca Energy in 2022 for a consideration of up to $1.46 billion. Prior to Siccar Point Energy, Doug held senior roles at Centrica Energy E&P and Venture Production plc.

Frances Ward - CFO

Job Titles:
  • Chief Financial Officer
  • Member of the Board of Directors
  • Member of the Executive Committee
Frances is a qualified accountant with over 15 years' senior management experience within the international oil and gas sector. Her previous experience includes 11 years at Nexen Energy (now part of CNOOC) in various senior finance roles in their London and Calgary offices. Frances joined IGas in 2017 as Group Financial Controller, then assuming overall responsibility for the finance function as Finance Director in July 2020 and was appointed as CFO in September 2022.

Kate Coppinger

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Directors
  • Non - Executive Director
  • Non - Executive Director at Serica Energy Plc
Kate is currently Non-executive Director at Serica Energy plc, an AIM listed, independent UK natural gas producer, and Plant Healthcare plc. Kate initially worked for CIBC World Markets as a research analyst before joining Harrison Lovegrove in 2000 where she moved into transaction execution. Following the acquisition of Harrison Lovegrove by Standard Chartered Bank in September 2007, Kate continued in oil and gas M&A transactions. In 2014, she was appointed Managing Director, Oil & Gas Corporate Finance, where she was responsible for origination and execution of transactions for European clients, a position she held until leaving Standard Chartered Bank in 2020.

Philip Jackson - Chairman

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Directors
  • Non - Executive Chairman
  • Fellow of the Energy Institute
Philip Jackson has over 35 years' experience in investments and corporate finance in energy and infrastructure projects. He was the founder and former Chief Executive of J.P. Morgan Asset Management's $860 million Asian Infrastructure and Related Resources Opportunity Fund and until March 2020 he was a partner of Kerogen Capital Partners Limited. Since March 2021 he is a senior advisor to and has been asked to join the board of Arctic Green Energy Corporation (one of the world's leading geothermal district heating businesses, primarily in Asia). He is also chairman of OneWater Group Limited which provides utility water treatment technologies around the world. He started his career with the energy team at Ashurst LLP before moving to its client Trafalgar House plc, then one of the UK's leading independent oil and gas companies. Philip is a Fellow of the Energy Institute. He graduated with an MA in law from the University of Cambridge and qualified as a solicitor of the Supreme Court in England.

Ross Glover - COO

Job Titles:
  • Chief Operating Officer
  • Member of the Executive Committee
Appointed in 2017, Ross is responsible for both new business and project development. His current focus is leading the diversification of the Company into complementary sectors. Prior to joining IGas, he ran a UK based renewable energy project development company with a focus on onshore wind. Ross started his career in Southern Africa managing capital projects in the mineral processing and mining sector. After moving to the UK in 2003, he worked for one of the UK's largest public sector leasing and managed equipment services companies where he was responsible for corporate acquisitions, disposals and structured finance. Ross holds a BSc in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Cape Town and an MBA from Warwick Business School.

Thamala Perera Schuetze - Chief Legal Officer, Secretary

Job Titles:
  • Company Secretary
  • General Counsel
  • Member of the Executive Committee
Thamala is a General Counsel with over 20 years' experience. Prior to the reverse takeover of Star Energy Group Limited (then a wholly-owned subsidiary of PETRONAS) by the Company in 2011, Thamala was a member of the management team and the General Counsel of Star Energy responsible for the European Infrastructure Group of PETRONAS, with a primary focus on gas storage. Thamala was called to the Bar of England and Wales in 2000 and during her career has held (among others) positions at the regulator, Ofgem, where she advised on electricity, gas and LNG projects and at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP in the telecoms sector.