Delonex Energy boss named as new Tullow Oil CEO

Oil and gas company Tullow Oil has appointed a new chief executive officer (CEO) and executive director of the company.

Tullow said on Tuesday that Rahul Dhir was named as its new CEO and executive director. He will take up his appointment from 1 July 2020 and Dorothy Thompson, currently the executive chair of Tullow, will return to her position as non-executive chair after a limited period of handover.

Dhir is currently the CEO of Delonex Energy, an Africa-focused oil and gas company that he founded in 2013. In Chad, the company has achieved material exploration success and discovered substantial oil resources. Delonex has also delivered exploration campaigns in Ethiopia and Kenya where Delonex operates Block 12A with Tullow as a non-operating partner.

Before establishing Delonex, Rahul served as managing director and CEO of Cairn India from 2006 until 2012. During his tenure, Cairn India delivered operated production of over 200,000 barrels of oil per day and delivered over $5 billion of development projects including the world’s longest heated pipeline.

Rahul started his career as a petroleum engineer, before moving into investment banking where he led teams at Morgan Stanley and Merrill Lynch, advising major oil and gas companies on merger and acquisition and capital market-related issues.

Dorothy Thompson said: “I am delighted to welcome Rahul to Tullow and am very pleased that he has accepted the position of CEO.

“His oil and gas, financial, and African experience combined with his record of strong leadership made him the stand-out candidate for the board. I look forward to Rahul joining Tullow in July and working with him closely in the coming years”.

Regarding his appointment, Dhir stated: “I am very excited at the opportunity to lead Tullow and re-establish it as an iconic company in our industry.

“The company has high-quality assets and great people. It also has a unique position in Africa, built on a proven track record of responsible operations, strong relationships and a commitment to sustainability”.