Our Senior Team

A strong Board with demonstrable skills and experience in international oil and gas markets.

The leadership team is constituted of the Executive Committee, focused on functional and operational delivery, and the Strategy Council, focused on the optimal delivery of growth and ESG strategies, as Genel aims to deliver our ambition of being a world-class creator of shareholder value, while fulfilling our goal of being a socially responsible contributor to the global energy mix.

  • David McManus
    David McManus
    Chairman
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    Appointed
    5 February 2020.

    Committee memberships
    Chair of the Nomination Committee and HSSE Committee, and member of the Remuneration, Reserves, and International Relations Committees.

    Key skills and experience
    David has vast experience as an international business leader in the energy sector with strong technical and commercial skills. He has over 40 years in technical, commercial, business development, general management and executive roles across all aspects of the oil & gas and energy business, spanning most regions of the world.

    Current external appointments
    David is currently serving as a Non-Executive Director for a number of listed companies including Hess Corporation, a large, integrated US oil and gas company, and Flex LNG, a Norwegian-listed LNG shipping company.

    Previous relevant experience
    In February 2020, David retired from Costain plc, one of the UK’s leading smart infrastructure solutions providers. He was also a Non-Executive Director on the Board of Rockhopper Exploration plc until May 2019, where he served as Chairman from 2016 to 2019. Other past Directorships include Caza Oil & Gas Inc and Cape plc, where he served as Chairman from 2006 to 2008. David’s earlier career consisted of a number of executive positions including at Pioneer Natural Resources, where he was executive vice president for international operations, BG Group, Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO), LASMO plc, and Shell UK.

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  • Paul Weir
    Paul Weir
    Chief Executive Officer
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    Paul joined Genel as Chief Operating Officer in January 2020, with responsibility for all production assets and functional leadership of the operational disciplines. Paul has worked for more than 30 years in upstream E&P having spent time in the North Sea, South East Asia and Africa with experience of onshore and offshore Oil and Gas Operations. Before joining Genel, Paul was Group Head of Operations and Safety at Tullow Oil. Prior to that Paul spent 13 years at Talisman, where he was VP Production & Exploration, leading Operations in Malaysia. Before that Paul worked in a variety of Operational roles for Nippon Oil, Elf, Occidental and Total. Paul holds an MBA in Oil & Gas Management from Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen.

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  • Rt Hon Sir Michael Fallon KCB
    Rt Hon Sir Michael Fallon KCB
    Senior Independent Non-Executive Director and Deputy Chairman
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    Appointed
    5 February 2020.

    Committee memberships
    Chairman of the International Relations Committee and member of the HSSE, Remuneration and Nomination Committees.

    Key skills and experience
    Sir Michael is a former UK Defence Secretary with 30 years of senior political and business experience, serving in four British Cabinets, and as a Non-Executive Director on City and commercial boards.

    Current external appointments
    In May 2021 Sir Michael was appointed as Chairman of Aberdeen Standard Investcorp Infrastructure Partners, an alternative investment management company which he joined in 2018 as a member of the advisory board. Sir Michael is also Chairman of Avanton Ltd, a property development firm; a member of the Advisory Board of HIN Global (cyber security); and Deputy Chairman of Nova Innovation, a tidal energy company.

    Previous relevant experience
    Sir Michael was Energy Minister in the UK Government from 2013-2014: responsible for oil, gas, electricity, nuclear and renewables.

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  • Ümit Tolga Bilgin
    Ümit Tolga Bilgin
    Non-Executive Director
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    Appointed
    5 February 2020.

    Committee memberships
    Member of the International Relations Committee.

    Key skills and experience
    Tolga Bilgin has current experience within the energy sector as CEO and Deputy Chairman of Bilgin Enerji Yatirim Holding A.S. and has held this position since 2014. Bilgin Energy is one of the largest companies within the Turkish energy sector. Through his current role and various positions held at Bilgin Energy managing the development, financing and execution of wind, hydro and thermal energy projects, Tolga brings experience in management, leadership, M&A and project financing to the Board.

    Current external appointments
    Since 2006 Tolga has been serving as the Chairman of the Wind Power and Hydropower Plants Businessmen’s Association and was also appointed as Deputy Chairman of Turkish Electricity Producers Association in 2018.

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  • Canan Ediboğlu
    Canan Ediboğlu
    Independent Non-Executive Director
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    Appointed
    21 June 2020.

    Committee memberships
    Chairman of the Audit Committee and member of the HSSE, Nomination and International Relations Committees.

    Key skills and experience
    Canan has significant financial, corporate and industry experience. She had almost 30 years’ experience at Royal Dutch Shell, culminating in her role as the country chair and CEO of Shell Turkey between 2001 and 2009. Prior to this she was the CFO of Shell Turkey, preceded by a series of positions at the company across numerous aspects of the business, notably marketing, treasury and planning. Since leaving Shell, Canan has advised a number of companies including Accenture, Maersk and APM Terminals in developing their businesses in Turkey.

    Current external appointments
    Canan is a Non-Executive Director of ING Bank and Tupraş in Turkey, since 2010 and 2017 respectively.

    Previous relevant experience
    Between 2011 and 2017 Canan was a Non-Executive Directorship of Aygaz, a Turkish LPG marketing and distribution company, and between 2013 and 2019 a Non-Executive Director of Prysmian Turkey. Canan is the former President of PETDER (Turkish Association of Petroleum Industrialists) and Chair of the Oil Industry Council Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges and board member of WWF. She is also an active member of various NGOs, and is a board member of the Turkish Autism Society, the Global Relations Forum, and Embarq where she was previously Chairperson for five years – the Centre for Sustainable Transport.

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  • Yetik K. Mert
    Yetik K. Mert
    Independent Non-Executive Director
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    Appointed
    22 December 2021.

    Committee memberships
    Chair of the Remuneration Committee, and member of the Audit, Nomination, HSSE, and International Relations Committees.

    Key skills and experience
    Yetik has almost 40 years’ technical, commercial, business development, and general management experience, including holding executive and non-executive Directorship roles across the energy utility and industrial sectors in MENA, CEE and the USA.

    Current external appointments
    Yetik is currently serving as a Non-Executive Director and Chairman of the Remuneration, Governance and Nomination Committees on the Boards of Turkish companies Cimsa Cimento Sanayi ve Ticaret AS and Afyon Cimento Sanayi Turk AS (Sabancı Holding Group Companies), which operate in the industrial construction sector.

    Previous relevant experience
    Between 1982 and 2004 Yetik undertook a number of engineering, strategic planning and business development roles across various industries including the manufacturing and construction sectors. In 2004, he became CEO of the Energy division at Sabancı Holding A.Ş., rising to become CEO of the Enerjisa Group (Integrated Energy Utility) in 2011. In 2016, he became CEO of STFA Group Holding Company and Chairman of the operational companies within the same group, tasked with the total restructuring of the Group.

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  • Paul Weir
    Paul Weir
    Chief Executive Officer
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    Paul joined Genel as Chief Operating Officer in January 2020, with responsibility for all production assets and functional leadership of the operational disciplines. Paul has worked for more than 30 years in upstream E&P having spent time in the North Sea, South East Asia and Africa with experience of onshore and offshore Oil and Gas Operations. Before joining Genel, Paul was Group Head of Operations and Safety at Tullow Oil. Prior to that Paul spent 13 years at Talisman, where he was VP Production & Exploration, leading Operations in Malaysia. Before that Paul worked in a variety of Operational roles for Nippon Oil, Elf, Occidental and Total. Paul holds an MBA in Oil & Gas Management from Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen.

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  • Luke Clements
    Luke Clements
    Chief Financial Officer
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    Luke joined the Company in 2011 to advise on the merger of Vallares Plc and Genel Enerji, and became Group Financial Controller in 2015, responsible for a broad range of financial, commercial, and treasury related activities. Prior to joining the Company, Luke spent seven years at KPMG, where he was head of department and advised multiple FTSE100 and FTSE350 companies across a range of sectors. Luke holds an LLB from the University of Sheffield.
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  • Mike Adams
    Mike Adams
    Technical Director
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    Formerly Head of Exploration and New Business, Mike was appointed as Technical Director on 1 June 2019, with responsibility for all pre-production activities relating to exploration, appraisal, and new business, as well as the subsurface department. Mike has 28 years of experience in the oil and gas industry in a wide variety of exploration, exploitation and global business development roles. Prior to joining Genel in 2012, Mike worked in a series of technical and leadership positions for companies including British Gas, Amerada Hess, Gulf Keystone Petroleum and Sterling Energy. Mike holds a MSc in Petroleum Geology from Imperial College London and is a Fellow of the Geological Society.

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  • Jamie Dykes
    Jamie Dykes
    General Counsel
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    Jamie has practised as a lawyer for nearly 25 years exclusively in the energy, natural resources and international trade sectors. Prior to joining Genel in 2012, he worked in-house at Mobil Corporation and then ExxonMobil Corporation and was latterly General Counsel of BHP Billiton Petroleum in Houston, Texas. He advises on a wide range of conventional oil and gas related issues including PSCs, JOA’s, Farm in Agreements negotiations and also has particular experience in advising companies operating in emerging markets with a focus on anti-bribery, sanctions and legal compliance issues. Jamie trained as a litigation lawyer at Norton Rose in the City of London and holds an MA in Classics from the University of Cambridge.

     

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  • Berna Özkoç Öztınaz
    Berna Özkoç Öztınaz
    Chief HR Officer
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    Berna joined Genel in June 2020, and has over 20 years of HR experience. Her most recent role was Chief Human Resources Officer at DeFacto. She has been Chairman and Executive Board Member of PERYON (People Management Association of Turkey) and Board Member of European Association of People Management since 2019. Prior to DeFacto, she worked at STFA Holding for 3 years as Strategy and Human Resources Chief Officer. She spent 11 years at ENERJISA, where she held number of leading HR roles and was the Board Member of AYEDAS and BASKENT Electricity Distribution Companies. She previously worked at KORDSA and TURSAB.

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  • Andrew Benbow
    Andrew Benbow
    Head of Communications
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    Andrew joined Genel in 2013 as Head of Public Relations, before becoming Head of Communications in 2018, responsible for strategic communications across all channels targeting all key stakeholder groups – media, local communities, governments, the investment community, ESG agencies, and employees. Andrew has almost 20 years of communications experience, having worked as a consultant at M:Communications for four years, and having spent the previous four years at Chime Communications, where he was an Account Director at Bell Pottinger Corporate and Financial.

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  • Cian Toomey
    Cian Toomey
    Head of Business Services
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    Cian joined Genel in November 2019. He is responsible for contracts & procurement, logistics, inventory and planning. Cian has over 20 years of experience leading contracts for major upstream developments  in complex regulatory environments including Angola, Qatar, Kenya, Saudi Arabia, USA, Abu Dhabi and others, working with Maersk Oil, Tullow Oil and Kentz. Cian is an MBA candidate at Henley Business School.

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  • Chandni Karania
    Chandni Karania
    Company Secretary
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    Chandni Karania joined Genel in early 2013 as Assistant Company Secretary and was appointed Deputy Company Secretary in June 2017. Prior to joining Genel Chandni was the Company Secretarial Assistant at Misys PLC and Azko Nobel. Chandni holds an LLB from the University of Reading, MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and is an Associate member of Chartered Governance Institute.

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