Hon. Peter O’Neill CMG MP

Prime Minister

Papua New Guinea

Peter Charles Paire O’Neill, CMG (born 13 February 1965) is the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea. He is the leader of the People’s National Congress and represents the constituency of Ialibu-Pangia. He was sworn in on 4 August 2012 as the ninth Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea.

The Prime Minister grew up in the country of PNG and he was educated at the Pangia Primary School, Ialibu High School and Goroka High School. After leaving school he was educated at the University of Papua New Guinea, graduating with a Bachelor of Accountancy and Commerce in 1986.

The Prime Minister was a businessman before entering politics. As of 2011 he lives in Port Moresby with his partner and has five children; two daughters (Loris and Joanne O’Neill) and three sons (Travis, Brian and Patrick O’Neill).

He became the leader of Papua New Guinea’s opposition in 2004. He joined the government of Prime Minister Michael Somare in 2007, serving as treasurer.
In August 2011 he joined with opposition MPs. Prime Minister Peter O’Neill was elected as the acting Prime Minister in a parliamentary vote on 2 August 2011 and was sworn in later in the day by the Governor-General.

Hon. Charles Abel

Deputy Prime Minister & Treasurer

Papua New Guinea

Hon. Charles Abel is a Member of Parliament for Alotau electorate and formally the Minister for Planning. First Elected to the 8th National Parliament for the Alotau Open Electorate in the 2007 General Elections as an Independent candidate, he then joined the National Alliance Party. Appointment as Minister for Culture and Tourism in the Somare-Temu cabinet on the 29/8/2007 till resignation from government in July 2010 to join the Morauta led opposition. Appointed Minister for Trade, Commerce and Industry on 5/8/2011 in the O'Neill-Namah cabinet.Re-elected to the 9th National Parliament for the Alotau Open Electorate in the 2012 General Elections as an People`s National Congress Party candidate. Appointed Minister for National Planning in the O'Neill-Dion cabinet.

Takashi Yamada

Director for Petroleum and LNG Policy of Natural Resources and Fuel Department

Ministry of Economic, Trade and Industry (METI)

Mr Takashi Yamada joined the Ministry of Economic, Trade and Industry (METI) in 1996. His fields were mainly energy and industry sectors. In 2007, he was sent to the federal government of Canada in Ottawa as a part of work exchange program between the governments of Canada and Japan. After returning to Japan in 2008, he served as a deputy director of Coal Division, METI, and Deputy Counselor of Information Technology Policy Office, Cabinet Secretariat. In 2012, he became a director for Environmental Policy Division, METI. From 2014 to 2017, he was dispatched to the Vancouver Office of Japan Oil Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC) as a general manager. Presently, he is a director for Petroleum and LNG Policy of Natural Resources and Fuel Department, Agency for Natural Resources and Energy.

Wapu Sonk

Managing Director

Kumul Petroleum Holdings Limited

Mr Wapu Sonk has two decades of experience as a Papua New Guinean leader in the oil & gas industry as the industry itself matured from being an oil exporting country to now LNG exporter. He was appointed Managing Director of the National Petroleum Company of PNG in January 2013. He has occupied numerous leadership roles in the Petroleum Industry of PNG since beginning his career with Chevron Nuigini Pty Ltd in 1997. These roles include Director – PNG LNG Project – IPBC (2012), Chairperson of Society of Petroleum Engineers (PNG Section) (2011), Technical Manager, Kumul Petroleum – Managing a Multi Skilled Team of Geologist & Engineers (2010-2011), Drilling & Completions Engineer – Oil Search Head Office – Sydney office, Australia (2007-2009), Night Shift Drilling Rig Operations Supervisor (2006 – 2007) and, Field Coordinator, PNG to QLD Gas Pipeline Project FEED Team – Manage Multinational team (2005). Mr Sonk is also a member of the International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC), Society of Petroleum Engineers (Worldwide), and Institute of Engineers PNG.

Andrew Barry

Managing Director

ExxonMobil PNG Limited

Mr Andrew Barry is the Managing Director of ExxonMobil PNG Limited, the operator for the PNG LNG Project Joint Venture. He is also Lead Country Manager for ExxonMobil in Papua New Guinea.  He has more than 20 years’ international experience in the oil and gas industry working with ExxonMobil. Before he came to PNG, he was President of ExxonMobil Canada where he was responsible for ExxonMobil’s production, development and exploration activities across Canada. He started his career in Australia and has also worked in Qatar.  His experience covers a wide range of roles including engineering, operations, strategic planning and LNG marketing. Mr Barry has a Bachelor of Civil Engineering degree, with First Class Honors from the Queensland University of Technology, Australia. He also holds a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Melbourne. Mr Barry is a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers and is a Council member for the Australia Papua New Guinea Business Council and the PNG Chamber of Mines and Petroleum. Mr Barry is married and has three children.

Peter Botten

Managing Director

Oil Search

Mr Peter Botten was appointed Managing Director on 28 October 1994, having previously filled both exploration and general manager roles in the company since joining in 1992. He has extensive worldwide experience in the oil and gas business, previously holding various senior technical and managerial positions in a number of listed and government owned organisations.

Mr Botten is a former President of the Papua New Guinea Chamber of Mines and Petroleum and is on the Executive Committee of the Australia PNG Business Council. He is Chairman of Business for Development, the Hela Provincial Health Authority and the National Football Stadium Trust in Port Moresby. Mr Botten is also a Director of AGL Energy.

He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2008 Queen’s Birthday Honours List for services to commerce and the mining and petroleum industry in Papua New Guinea.

Philippe Blanchard

Managing Director

Total E&P PNG Ltd

Mr Philippe Blanchard has been appointed managing director of Total E&P PNG Limited in May 2014, the operator of PRL-15 licence in Gulf province that holds the fields Elk and Antelope. He has spent all his career in Total Group that he joined in 1993 and has held several positions within the company from technical to commercial and management:  exploration  geophysicist in Angola at the time of Block 17 discoveries, Development and Planning division in the headquarters in France (for Concept phase and pre-FEED studies). He was later appointed site manager in OML58 producing licence located onshore Niger Delta in Nigeria and held a commercial position in the head office in Paris for Northern Africa.

Philippe Blanchard is graduated from Ecole Polytechnique in France with degrees in Mathematics and Physics and has followed a post graduate master in Institut Francais du Petrole in Geophysics.

Hiroki Sato

Senior Executive Vice President & Chief Fuel Transactions Officer

JERA

Mr Hiroki Sato is one of the foundation members of JERA from Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc. now is Chief Fuel Transactions Officer, Senior Executive Vice President of JERA Co., Inc. and Special Advisor of Chubu. He graduated from Keio University, specializing in Marketing Management and has previously worked as a diplomat in Middle East.

He has over 25 years of experience in LNG business. He made several innovative deals such as first MSPA in Asia, joint purchasing, time swap, tripartite SPA, liquefaction tolling agreements in Freeport LNG Project, capacity agreement with European players etc. while in Chubu and JERA.