Brid Horan, Chairperson

Brid has significant Board experience at both Executive and Non-Executive level. Her current roles include Chancellor of Dublin City University, Non Executive Director of PM Group, Chair of Irish Cancer Society and of Trustees for Bank of Ireland Staff Pension Fund. Brid was previously a Non-Executive Director at FBD Holdings plc, a Commissioner of Ireland’s National Pensions Reserve Fund and a Director at IDA Ireland. Brid spent much of her career at ESB in various leadership roles and ultimately served as the company’s Deputy Chief Executive.

Brian O’Cathain, Non-Executive Director

Brian has worked as a geologist and petroleum engineer in the oil and gas sector since 1984. He started his career as a petroleum engineer with Shell International. He was employed at Enterprise Oil for 12 years, where his final role was as Managing Director of Enterprise Oil Ireland, responsible for the sanction of the Corrib Gas Field Development. He was the Head of International Business with Tullow Oil from 2002 to 2005. He served as the founding CEO of Afren plc from 2005 to 2007, and as CEO of Petroceltic International plc, an AiM listed E&P company focused on North Africa from 2007 until 2016. He is currently also a non-executive director of two AiM-listed exploration and production companies, Eland Oil and Gas, which produces over 25,000 barrels of oil per day in Nigeria, and Europa Oil and Gas, which holds a portfolio of Irish oil and gas exploration licences.

David Chambers, Non-Executive Director

David is a Senior Principal in the Energy and Resources Group at Canada Pension Plan Investment Board. Prior to joining CPPIB, David worked in the financial restructuring group at Houlihan Lokey. David oversees many of CPPIB’s direct investments in the oil and gas industry. David also sits on the Board of Teine Energy Ltd. and Encino Acquisition Partners, LLC. David holds an HBA from Ivey Business School.

Bala Balakrishnan, Non-Executive Director

Bala began his career in the Energy sector as a field engineer trained in downhole logging initially in Southeast Asia and then moving into the UK North Sea in the early 1990’s. After obtaining an MSc from the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, Bala led a progressive career in the Upstream Energy business with leadership roles in ConocoPhillips in the UK and Chevron in Southeast Asia.

With a strong operational background and exceptional business acumen, Bala continued to progress with further leadership roles in Business Development with Repsol in Spain and later with WintershallDea in Germany.

In 2011, Bala was appointed Vice President, Corporate and Business Development at Talisman Energy Inc. located in Calgary, Canada.  Bala co-led the Talisman Corporate Development deal team that resulted in the U$13B corporate acquisition of Talisman Energy Inc. by Repsol. In 2015, Bala became a co-founding member and an executive in the Management Team of RimRock Oil and Gas Inc., a private equity sponsored E&P start-up with funding up to U$500 million. 

In late 2017, following the success in Private Equity, Bala rejoined Repsol in Madrid, Spain as Director of Global Business Development where he was responsible and accountable in re-shaping the Upstream and Midstream portfolio. Bala also led and executed energy transition scenario analysis in delivering transformational and balanced pathways to achieve a decarbonized Energy Mix portfolio for Repsol’s Energy Transition.

Megan Hansen, Non-Executive Director

Megan Hansen is a Principal in the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board’s Energy & Resources group. Prior to joining CPPIB, Megan spent three years as an Associate at J.P. Morgan in New York, where she worked for the Global Commodities Research team, focusing on energy markets and macro strategy, and in energy investment banking. Megan was also a Junior Professional Associate in the Latin American & Caribbean Energy group at the World Bank in Washington D.C., where she focused on lending and technical assistance for governments in Brazil, Bolivia, and the Caribbean. Megan holds a M.S. in Management Science and Engineering and a B.S. in Atmosphere/Energy Engineering both from Stanford University. She completed her M.B.A. with High Distinction at Harvard Business School where she was a Baker Scholar.

Tom O’Brien, Executive Director

Tom is Managing Director of Nephin Energy. He has over 20 years’ experience in the energy industry including over 10 years in the Projects & Energy Department of one of Ireland’s leading law firms, focusing on renewable energy, (inc. Ireland’s first on and offshore windfarms) large scale real estate and infrastructure projects. Since then Tom has held senior executive roles at a number of Irish companies, including two Irish Plc’s. Tom’s prior experience includes working at C-Suite level at Providence Resources plc, Ireland’s most active oil and gas exploration company and Malin Corporation plc a global life sciences investment company, where he worked on the investment management side of the business including sitting on the board of investee companies for Malin.

Tom was senior adviser and project lead in Ireland for CPPIB's $1.23 billion acquisition of Shell's interest in the Corrib Gas Field. He was subsequently asked by CPPIB to build out and lead the company that would eventually own CPPIB's interest in the field. Tom has mentored on the Irish Stock Exchange's #IPOready leadership programme which is designed to help ambitious Irish companies get ready for different types of strategic funding options, including going public. Tom is a regular contributor to energy policy debate in Ireland.  He holds an LLB from University College Cork, an LLM from University College London and a Professional Diploma in Finance from University College Dublin.

Peter Colleran, Executive Director

Peter is Technical Director of Nephin Energy. He has over 33 years’ experience as an E&P development manager with Shell. A reservoir engineer and petroleum engineer by training he has a strong technical background in the areas of E&P including subsurface, drilling, operations, logistics, FEED, HSE, risk management, major contract tendering and corporate reporting. Peter has held senior technical roles in field development planning, asset rejuvenation, JV management and regulatory compliance via positions held in the Netherlands, Norway, Turkey, Thailand, Sakhalin, Australia and Ireland. Peter is well acquainted with the Corrib Gas Field as he worked in Shell Exploration & Production Ireland Limited as Venture Integration and Strategy Manager between 2009 and 2015 reporting to the Managing Director. Peter holds a BSc and MSc in Physics from NUIG.