Tom Fleure - Senior Vice President of Geophysical Technology

In his 21 years of service with Western Geophysical, and its successor WesternGeco, Mr. Fleure held several senior management positions in both technology and operations. Mr. Fleure’s senior technology positions included Area Geophysicist for Eastern Hemisphere Land, Manager for Applied Technology Land and Special Projects, Project Manager for Survey Evaluation and Design and Manager of Acquisition Geophysics. Mr. Fleure’s operations postings have included Managing Director of Western Atlas International Nigeria Ltd. from 1994-1996, Resident Manager of Saudi Arabia for Western Geophysical from 1992-1994 and Operations Manager for Western Hemisphere Marine.

Mr. Fleure has a broad understanding of exploration geophysics stretching from field parameter design through signal processing. Mr. Fleure’s specific areas of research and in-depth study have included development of advanced vibroseis techniques and custom designs of explosives for application as seismic sources.

Mr. Fleure is the inventor or co-inventor on two patents in these research areas. Mr. Fleure graduated with scholastic honors and earned a Bachelor of Science in Geophysical Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines in December 1982.

Alvin L. Thomas II - Senior Vice President and General Counsel

Mr. Thomas, a licensed attorney, has been practicing law for over 17 years; his focus has included Legal and Human Resources, Mergers and Acquisitions, Lobbying and Legislative, Insurance and Risk Management and Litigation.

Mr. Thomas began his legal career at Fulbright and Jaworski, L.L.P. specializing in tax and corporate law planning and tax litigation. He later practiced law with Littler Mendelson where his focus shifted to employment law and litigation. In 1998, Mr. Thomas was named Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Synagro Technologies, Inc. He managed all risk areas for the company and directed the legal, human resources, mergers and acquisitions, insurance and compliance divisions. He successfully navigated the company's transition from public to private as a portfolio company for the Carlyle Group.

Tony Clark - Senior Vice President - Multi Client Services

A 25 year industry veteran, Mr. Clark started in the seismic business in the early 1980’s working for Geophysical Field Surveys (GFS), now a part of CGGVeritas. He continued his career marketing seismic programs and selling 2D and 3D spec surveys for industry-leading Seismic Exchange, Inc. (SEI), now a prominent data library leader.

Mr. Clark then began his entrepreneurial quest as a founder and principal of Seismic Assistants, Inc. (SAI); his networking skills and marketing prowess quickly helped to establish the company as a leading provider of 3D spec programs in the state of Texas. He has since sold his position in SAI and is currently an owner/partner in a number of very successful business ventures across the US.

Mr. Clark graduated from Mississippi State University with a BBA in Marketing. He has served on the Board of the College of Business and Industry at MSU since 2003 and was recently selected as one of MSU’s National Alumni Association's Distinguished Service recipients.

Kirk Girouard - Vice President - Land Operations, Latin America

With over 20 years in the industry, Mr. Girouard’s knowledge and reputation make him a strong and dependable leader, bringing professionalism and experience unparalleled in the industry.  During his tenure at WesternGeco, Mr. Girouard acted as the Operations Manager for both United States Gulf Coast Operations and United States Land Seismic Operations.  Mr. Girouard managed and consolidated separate operating divisions and increased productivity through a focused management team effort.  At Western Geophysical, Mr. Girouard managed Latin American Seismic Operations and was responsible for approximately 165 employees and annual sales of $50 MM throughout Mexico, Central and South America.  Mr. Girouard also acted as General Manager of Business in the Southern Cone areas including Brazil, Argentina, Peru, and Bolivia.

Mr. Girouard’s work in South America has given him invaluable international experience as well as a bilingual background.  He has a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas, as well as several professional development certifications.  He is also a member of the Society of Exploration Geophysicists and the American Association of Petroleum Geologists.

Jeff Howell - Vice President - Health, Safety, Environment and Quality

For 23 years, Mr. Howell managed QHSE initiatives for industry leading Western Geophysical and WesternGeco. He held many in-field and area management positions, ultimately leading to Director of Worldwide QHSE. Mr. Howell had QHSE management authority over the world’s largest land, marine and transition zone seismic organization and was instrumental in designing and implementing Western’s safety and quality programs during the formative years of industrial safety programs. He also worked extensively for Schlumberger Oilfield Services as a United States Land QHSE manager, and as the North and South American (NSA) QHSE training coordinator.

Mr. Howell’s broad understanding of QHSE management systems and his exceptional relationships with people will ensure that the Company has an expedient and comprehensive rollout of their new QHSE management system. He has lived, worked and traveled in many countries throughout West Africa, Europe, the Middle East, Far East, Former Soviet Union and Latin America. Mr. Howell has a close relationship with the International Association of Geophysical Contractors (IAGC) and has served on the IAGC Health, Safety, and Environmental Steering Committee and the International Association of Oil & Gas Producers (OGP) Health and Safety Committee.

Craig Lindberg - Senior Vice President - Strategic Inititives

Mr. Lindberg is a co-founder of Global Geophysical. Prior to joining Global, he spent his entire career in the food industry, working for both small private and large public corporations, most recently with Tyson Foods. He brings a valuable outside perspective to the company dialogue and in the design of financial, analytical, and marketing tools. Mr. Lindberg’s expertise in consumer products combined with the seismic industry expertise of the Global senior management team effectively brings a value-added focus to the business.

Mr. Lindberg is a Summa Cum Laude Graduate of the University of Houston and received an MBA from the Rice University Jones Graduate School of Management, where he received the Jones Scholar Award for Academic Excellence and finished first in his class.

Duncan Riley - Vice President - Business Administration, HR, Risk Management 

Mr. Riley has more than 20 years of experience in the seismic and oil field services industry. He began his career with Western Geophysical as a seismic Party Chief in Venezuela. Additional international positions include assignments in Argentina, Gabon, Mexico, Nigeria and Trinidad. He held a number of senior management roles within Western Geophysical, including General Manager for Applied Technology, General Manager of Western Hemisphere Marine Operations, and General Manager of Marketing Research & Strategic Planning. While with Schlumberger, he served as assistant Marketing Manager for the Drilling & Measurements segment.

A key member of Western Geophysical’s senior management team, Mr. Riley directed the regulatory approval process that lead to the creation of WesternGeco, the seismic services joint venture between Schlumberger and Baker Hughes. Upon creation of the JV, he was named Area Manager of WesternGeco’s North & South America business unit.

Mr. Riley earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Geophysical Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines with minors in Geology and Computer Science, and an MBA from Rice University.

Larry Scott - Vice President - Worldwide Marine and Transition Zone

Mr. Scott began his career with Western Geophysical in 1979 as a marine seismic data processor, and later transferred to the marine operations group. During the mid-80's his interests turned to the technical aspects of seismic exploration, and he took up senior geophysicist roles in R&D and Applied Technology within Western Geophysical’s research division. During this period he became heavily involved in navigation and positioning technology for marine 3D surveys, and developed the industry's first onboard navigation post-processing system. He has managed a wide variety of operations, including conventional 2D, 3D, and 4D streamer as well as ocean bottom cable (OBC) and transition zone (TZ) operations.

Since leaving Western Geophysical in 2000, Mr. Scott has served as Vice President of EAME Marine Acquisition for Veritas DGC, Senior Vice President of GX Technology’s Integrated Seismic Solutions (ISS) business segment, and most recently as President of Offshore Hydrocarbon Mapping Inc., a division of OHM Ltd. headquartered in Aberdeen, Scotland.

Mr. Scott graduated with highest honors from the University of Texas and is an active member of SEG, EAGE, AAPG, GSH and PESGB.

Charles “Charlie” Yanez - Vice President - Multi Client Business Development

Mr. Yanez began his career in the seismic services industry in 1980 working as a geophysical trainee for one of Western Geophysical’s South Texas field crews. He quickly advanced through the ranks as Party Manager, Operations Supervisor, Operations Manager and General Manager-Land & Transition Zone Multiclient Data, gaining extensive experience across the varying terrains in the US and Canada.

After the merger between Western Geophysical and Schlumberger’s Geco-Prakla, Mr. Yanez held senior management positions in WesternGeco’s North America Shared Value Optimization and most recently as the North America Land and Transition Zone Manager.

Mr. Yanez attended Baylor University and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Geology from Texas A&I University. He is an active member of the Society of Exploration Geophysicists, the Geophysical Society of Houston and the Coastal Bend Geophysical Society.

Laurie Williams - General Manager - Europe, Africa & the Middle East

Mr. Williams, a 30 year seismic industry veteran, began his career at Western Geophysical in Pakistan in 1980. Starting out as a vibrator technician, he quickly advanced within the organization and held a variety of positions including Party Manager, Field Supervisor, Country Manager and Operations Support Manager. Mr. Williams’ operations experience includes managing multi-million dollar projects in challenging countries such as Pakistan, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Kuwait, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Yemen, Algeria and Oman.

Robin Guscette - Operations Manager - Europe, Africa & the Middle East

Mr. Guscette has 23 years of operational experience managing field crews in a variety of environments including Egypt, Syria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Turkey, Algeria, Tunisia and Alaska. Prior to joining Global, Mr. Guscette held operations management positions including Land Operations Supervisor and Field Crew Manager with Western Geophysical and WesternGeco.

Ivan Ortega Tamayospan - Operations Manager - Latin America

Mr. Ortega has over 20 years of operational experience the industry. He served as Operations Manager and was later promoted to Resident Manager of Ecuador for Grant Geophysical.  He efficiently managed seismic acquisition operations for significant clients in the region, including the largest 3D program ever recorded in Ecuador. 

Mr. Ortega began his career at Western Geophysical in Colombia, working his way through the ranks up to Resident Manager.  He managed safe and profitable operations, maintaining excellent client relations and establishing the highest standards for seismic exploration in the countries of Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru and Venezuela.  He has supervised 2D and 3D acquisition crews in all types of environments, including jungle, swamp, shallow water, Altiplano, and llanos.

Mr. Ortega attended Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogota, D.C. 

Chris Verret - Country Manager, Argentina

Mr. Verret has 27 years of experience worldwide and throughout all disciplines of the seismic industry. He began his career working as a processing seismologist for Geophysical Service Inc. (GSI) in Dallas, Texas in 1980. He quickly moved from data processing to international field operations and served as project manager on significant 3D seismic programs around the globe. Mr. Verret later transitioned through the ranks in operations at Halliburton Geophysical Services (HGS).

When Western Geophysical acquired HGS in 1994, Mr. Verret was assigned to Latin American operations as Area Geophysicist based in Argentina and subsequently held both technical and managerial positions. Following the merger of Western Geophysical and Schlumberger’s Geco-Prakla which formed WesternGeco, he transferred to Houston and worked as Account Manager and Land Sales Manager for North America.

Mr. Verret earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Energy Resources Management from Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas. He is a member of the Society of Exploration Geophysicist (SEG) and the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG).

Mark Yale - Operations Supervisor, Latin America

Mark Yale, a 17+ year industry veteran, began his career at Western Geophysical, working his way up the ranks in various middle management positions in both operations and financial management.  On the operations side, Mark served as the Houston-based QHSE Supervisor for Europe and Latin America, and then advanced to Project Manager and Operations Manager for land crews in Mexico and Venezuela. 

Mr. Yale’s MBA education and extensive business acumen excelled him to into a Finance & Administration Manager position in Mexico City, and then Bolivia.  As WesternGeco’s Business Analyst for Mexico, he very successfully implemented the necessary accounting controls that turned around land operations from negative net income to break-even status within two years.

Most recently, Mr. Yale managed all administrative and financial reporting for a $107 million joint venture with a Mexican engineering and construction firm.

Mr. Yale spent most of his early life overseas, growing up in Latin America, Africa and the Far East.  He earned a Masters of Business Administration, a Master of Science in Reservoir Geology, and a Bachelor of Science degree from Texas A&M University. 

John Barrett - Manager - Health, Safety, Environment and Quality

Mr. Barrett is a native of New Zealand and has over 30 years of international experience in seismic operations and health, safety, and environment compliance. 

Mr. Barrett joined Western Geophysical in 1975 and performed field operations in the Middle East, Latin America, China and India.  John transitioned into his role as HSE Manager for Latin America operations, implementing, maintaining and proactively improving Western’s HSE program.  He then served as Operations Manager of Mexico Land and Transition Zone operations for WesternGeco (Schlumberger).  Most recently, John was the Health and Safety Manager for TBC Corporation in New Zealand.

Mr. Barrett recently has obtained a Graduate Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety (Distinction Pass) from Massey University in New Zealand.

Lance Moreland – Business Development Manager, Denver

Mr. Moreland launched his career in the seismic industry in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s working for seismic spec companies in Houston. He served as broker and client representative to major oil companies and also was the technical liaison between oil company representatives and the seismic data processors.

Mr. Moreland transitioned to First Seismic Corporation in 1987 and was consistently ranked as the number one producer in the company for multiclient sales. He was promoted to Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President and was responsible for overseeing all operations across the company including sales, accounting, corporate services and IT.

Mr. Moreland joined Millennium Seismic Ltd in 1999 and was promoted to President; he built Millennium’s Calgary operations from the ground up. He obtained underwriting for over 1000 square miles of new multiclient seismic surveys while maintaining the current licensing of shelf data. Most recently, Mr. Moreland served as Senior Vice President of Polaris Explorer, USA, where he was responsible for all US business operations.

Mr. Moreland attended Louisiana State University and the University of Houston. He is a member of the Society of Exploration Geophysicists, the Canadian Society of Exploration Geophysicists and the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists.

Barry Weinman – President - Weinman GeoScience Division