Board of Directors

Mr Kristian Siem*

Chairman

Mr Siem brings an extensive knowledge of the offshore oil and gas services business worldwide from previous senior executive and non-executive roles, combined  with long-standing experience as chairman of public  companies listed in the US, UK and Norway. Mr Siem is the founder of Siem Industries Group and has been Director and Chairman of Siem Industries S.A. since 1982. Prior to joining the Group, he held several management positions with the Fred Olsen Group in the US and Norway. Mr Siem has previously held directorships and executive positions at Kvaerner ASA, Transocean Inc., NKT and Norwegian Cruise Line. He holds a degree in Business Economics.

_{* Kristian Siem is the permanent representative of Treveri S.à r.l. on the Board of Directors. Treveri S.à r.l. – a Luxembourg-incorporated company wholly owned by Kristian Siem – was appointed Director and Chairman on 18 April 2023.}

Date of appointment:
Appointed Non-Executive Director and Chairman of Subsea 7 S.A. from January 2011, upon the merger of Acergy S.A. and Subsea 7 Inc. Mr Siem was Chairman of Subsea 7 Inc. from January 2002.

Committee Membership:
Chairman of Compensation Committee
Chairman of Tender Committee
Corporate Governance, Nominations and Risk Committee

Key external appointments:
Chairman of Siem Industries S.A., Director of Treveri S.à r.l., Siem Shipping Inc. and Frupor S.A.  

Nationality and date of birth:
1949

Tenure:
Elected by shareholders on 18 April 2023 until the 2025 AGM.

Independent: No

David Mullen, 
Senior Independent Director

Mr Mullen brings over 40 years’ experience in the oil services business. Until August 2024, Mr Mullen was CEO of Shelf Drilling Limited and has previously held the position of CEO at two other companies in the subsea industry, Wellstream Holdings PLC and Ocean Rig ASA. Prior to these appointments he was Senior Vice President of Global Marketing, Business Development and M&A at Transocean from 2005 to 2008. Mr Mullen also had a 23-year career at Schlumberger, including as President of Oilfield Services for North and South America. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Geology and Physics from Trinity College, Dublin, and an MSc degree in Geophysics from the National University of Ireland.

Date of appointment:
Appointed a Non-Executive Independent Director from April 2018 and Senior Independent Director from January 2021.

Committee membership:
Chairman Corporate Governance, Nominations and Risk Committee
Audit and Sustainability Committee

Key external appointments:
CEO and Director of Shelf Drilling Limited. Chairman and Director of Shelf Drilling North Sea Limited.  

Nationality and date of birth:
1958

Tenure:
Re-elected by shareholders on 2 May 2024 until the 2026 AGM.

Independent: Yes

Eldar Sætre
Independent Director

Mr Sætre brings a wealth of experience in the energy sector combined with extensive knowledge of accounting and finance. Mr Sætre was President and CEO of Equinor from February 2015 until he stepped down in November 2020. As CEO he was extensively engaged in transforming the cost base of the company and creating a more resilient global business. Prior to becoming CEO, Mr Sætre held several senior management positions in the company, mainly in the fields of accounting, finance and performance management as well as marketing and trading. Mr Sætre has an MA in Business Economics from the Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration (NHH) in Bergen.

During his time at Equinor Mr Sætre transitioned Equinor into a company focused on lowercarbon strategies and new energy solutions, and he also holds an advisory role at Nysnø Climate Investments, making him ideally suited to provide the Board with expertise on sustainability, including climate-related matters. 

Date of appointment:
Appointed a Non-Executive Independent Director from June 2021.

Committee membership:
Chairman of Audit and Sustainability Committee
Tender Committee

Key external appointments:
Director of Fjord Base Holding AS and Trucknor AS. Chairman of the boards of Strømberg Gruppen AS, Vartdal Holding AS and Vartdal Plastindustri AS. Advisory role at Nysnø Climate Investments.

Nationality and date of birth:
1956

Tenure:
Re-elected by shareholders on 18 April 2023 until the 2025 AGM.

Independent: Yes

Niels Kirk,
Independent Director

Mr Kirk brings to the role over 40 years of international corporate and structured finance experience combined with extensive knowledge of the energy, power and resource sectors at executive level. He is a co-founder and Chief Executive of the energy advisory firm Kirk Lovegrove and Company Ltd, an FCA regulated energy advisory firm based in London. Prior to this, he worked at Citibank and Banque Paribas.

Mr Kirk holds an MBA in Finance and International Business from the Stern School at New York University. Mr Kirk’s extensive experience of the energy sector overlaid with his international corporate and structured financial risk management experience, makes him well placed to provide the Board with expertise on risk including cybersecurity. 

Date of appointment:
Appointed a Non-Executive Independent Director from April 2018.

Committee membership:
Corporate Governance, Nominations and Sustainability Committee
Compensation Committee

Key external appointments:
Co-founder and CEO of Kirk Lovegrove and Company Ltd.

Nationality and date of birth:
1962

Tenure:
Re-elected by shareholders on 2 May 2024 until the 2026 AGM.

Independent: Yes

Jean Cahuzac,
Independent Director

Mr Cahuzac has wide multicountry technical, commercial and general management experience in senior executive roles in the oil and gas services sector spanning a period of 40 years. He was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Acergy S.A. in 2008 and in 2011, post merger, became the Chief Executive Officer of Subsea 7 S.A., a position he held until his retirement in December 2019.

Mr Cahuzac was Chief Operating Officer and then President at Transocean from 2000 to 2008. He worked at Schlumberger from 1979 to 1999 in various field management positions and then as President of Sedco Forex. He holds a Master’s degree in Engineering from École des Mines de St-Étienne and is a graduate of the French Petroleum Institute in Paris.

Date of appointment:
Appointed a Director from May 2008 (then named Acergy S.A.).

Committee membership:
Compensation Committee and Tender Committee

Key external appointments:

Member of the Supervisory Board of Société Phocéenne de Participations.

Director of Seadrill Limited and Ashtead Technology Holdings plc

Nationality and date of birth:
1954

Tenure:
Re-elected by shareholders on 2 May 2024 until the 2026 AGM.

Independent: Yes

Elisabeth Proust Van Heeswijk,
Independent Director

Ms Proust Van Heeswijk has extensive multi-country experience in the oil and gas sector at an executive level after spending more than 40 years at Total.

With a background in engineering, she began her career as a drilling engineer at ELF, becoming a development engineering and project management specialist, which led to her appointment as the first female Vice President for Development Engineering for Total worldwide. Her experience at Total included senior leadership positions as Managing Director of Total’s affiliates in Indonesia, Nigeria and the UK. Ms Proust Van Heeswijk holds a Master’s degree in Engineering/Hydrodynamics from École Centrale de Nantes and is a graduate of the French Petroleum Institute in Paris.

While at Total, Ms Proust Van Heeswijk was a member of the Diversity Council and Ethics Committee, which oversaw human rights matters, and as such she is well placed to provide the Board with expertise on labour practices and human rights.

Date of appointment:
Appointed an Independent Non-Executive Director on 18 April 2023. Ms Proust Van Heeswijk previously served on the Board of Directors between April 2019 and April 2021.

Committee membership:
Audit and Sustainability Committee

Nationality and date of birth:
1957

Tenure:
Re-elected by shareholders on 18 April 2023 until the 2025 AGM.

Independent: Yes