20 October 2015
NIGHTHAWK ENERGY PLC (”Nighthawk” or ”the Company”)
Organisational Changes and Directorate Change
Nighthawk, the US focused oil development and production company (AIM: HAWK and OTCQX: NHEGY),
announces that it has completed an internal review of its current cost structure and has identified a number of margin enhancement and operational efficiency opportunities that it has begun implementing. Many of these improvements will begin to be realized later this year with the full impact being realized in 2016.
These margin enhancement and operational efficiency opportunities are:
· Consolidation of finance and accounting functions to the Denver Office;
· Staffing changes; and
· Reduction of Corporate G&A.
Consolidation of Finance Function
In an effort to streamline the accounting and finance functions and to integrate them more fully with the operations functions, the Company plans to consolidate its financial and accounting functions to the Denver office. As a result of this consolidation, Mr. Richard Swindells, CFO and a Board member, who has served with the Company in the UK since 2011 and has been key in the Company’s successes during a period of considerable growth, has agreed to leave the Company effective as of November 7, 2015 and will be resigning as a director and as Company Secretary.
Mr. Kurtis Hooley will be joining the Company in Denver as the new CFO and Company Secretary, effective as of November 7, 2015, and will be responsible for all accounting, finance and administrative functions of the Company. Previously, these functions have been split between Denver and London and the Company believes this consolidation will result in better alignment of these functions with its US operations and more streamlined accounting and financial functions with all personnel now in the same office. Mr. Hooley will not join the Board of Directors.
Mr. Hooley has over 25 years of financial and operational management experience, which includes 11 years of experience with an international accounting and audit firm and 10 years of experience with a US public Exploration and Production energy company, Double Eagle Petroleum Co., where he held both the CFO and COO titles.
Staffing Changes
Mr. Mike Thomsen, Nighthawk’s VP of Geology, has left the Company with immediate effect to pursue other opportunities. Mr. Thomsen was a founder of the Company and held a series of senior management positions during his tenure. This change does not affect Nighthawk’s geological team who were instrumental in the discovery of the Mississippian Spergen geological play within the Company’s acreage.
In addition, Nighthawk has reduced its field personnel by two positions.
Reduction of Corporate G&A costs
In conjunction with the planned consolidation of the financial and accounting functions in Denver, the Company will be reducing its UK administrative activities that are duplicative to those performed in the US office. Although the Company will maintain a UK presence, it is expected that these changes will not only reduce costs but will substantially streamline Nighthawk’s corporate functions.
The Board will continue to review costs, head count and reporting structures in order to realize further cost savings and operation efficiencies where achievable.
Mr. McCullough, Executive Chairman, said:
”While we are always looking for ways to cut our costs and improve our operations and efficiencies, this is particularly important in the current, tough oil price environment. We’d like to thank Richard Swindells for his service and contribution to the Company since 2011, and in particular I’d like to thank Richard for his support and assistance during my first year as Nighthawk’s Chairman.
”We also wish to thank Mike Thomsen for his service and contributions to Nighthawk Energy since 2006. We wish Richard and Mike well in their respective new endeavors.
”I am pleased to welcome Kurtis Hooley to our company and believe the consolidation of our accounting and financial functions in Denver will result in considerable efficiencies being realized. Kurtis brings a unique combination of energy finance and operations experience that will further enchance our Denver team.”
Enquiries:
Nighthawk Energy plc
Rick McCullough, Executive Chairman
+1 303 407 9600
Kurtis Hooley, Chief Financial Officer elect
+44 (0) 20 3582 1350
Westhouse Securities Limited
+44 (0) 20 7601 6100
Alastair Stratton
Robert Finlay
Canaccord Genuity
+44 (0) 20 7523 8000
Manuel Santiago
Henry Fitzgerald-O’Connor
FTI Consulting
+44 (0) 20 3727 1000
Ben Brewerton
ben.brewerton@fticonsulting.com
Ed Westropp
edward.westropp@fticonsulting.com
