Rahul Dhir to lead Tullow Oil as CEO starting 1 July

Tullow Oil has announced the appointment of Rahul Dhir as CEO and an Executive Director of the group. Mr Dhir will take up his appointment from 1 July 2020, and Dorothy Thompson, Executive Chair of Tullow, will return to her position as Non-Executive Chair after a limited period of handover.

Mr Dhir brings extensive leadership experience in oil and gas to Tullow. He is currently CEO of Delonex Energy, an Africa-focused oil and gas company that he founded in 2013. Under Mr Dhir’s leadership, Delonex has delivered low-cost drilling and seismic operations along with leading social and environmental performance in sub-Saharan Africa. 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.

Prior to establishing Delonex, Mr Dhir served as Managing Director and CEO of Cairn India from its IPO in 2006 until 2012. During Mr Dhir’s tenure, Cairn India delivered operated production of over 200,000 bbl/day with operating costs of less than $5/bbl. Cairn India also successfully delivered over $5 billion of development projects including the world’s longest heated pipeline at a finding and development cost of less than $5/bbl.

Mr Dhir 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. Mr Dhir is a UK citizen and was educated at the Indian Institute of Technology, the University of Texas and the Wharton School.

“I am delighted to welcome Mr Dhir to Tullow and am very pleased that he has accepted the position of CEO,” Ms Thompson said. “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 Mr Dhir joining Tullow in July and working with him closely in the coming years.”

“I am very excited at the opportunity to lead Tullow and re-establish it as an iconic company in our industry,” Mr Dhir said. “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. I am looking forward to working with the team and the board to rebuild an exceptional business.”