EnerVest Ltd. said Aug. 21 it had appointed Jud Walker as president to serve alongside his father John B. Walker, founder and CEO of the Houston-based company.

As a result of Jud Walker's appointment, effective immediately, Alex Zazzi and Jim McKinney, who have both been with EnerVest for several years, were promoted to new roles with EnerVest Operating LLC. Zazzi will replace Jud Walker as president and CEO of EnerVest Operating and McKinney will fill in the executive vice president and COO position at EnerVest Operating left vacant by Zazzi's promotion.

“I look forward to working with this new generation of leaders,” John B. Walker said in a statement. “They have a strong mix of technical and financial knowledge and are innovative thinkers. Our company is in very good hands well into the future.”

EnerVest also announced the planned retirement of James M. Vanderhider, executive vice president and CFO, later this year. Vanderhider will be replaced by Nicholas Bobrowski, currently vice president and CFO of Harvest Oil & Gas Corp., formerly EnerVest affiliate EV Energy Partners LP.

“Jim and I have been friends and business partners for more than 30 years,” Walker said. “He and I have helped build three companies together, and he has more than earned his retirement.”

In addition, EnerVest announced the following promotions:

  • Andy West, senior vice president and general counsel;
  • Bryan K. Ginsburg, senior vice president of oil and gas marketing;
  • Phillip Berry, vice president and deputy general counsel;
  • Sean Cooper, vice president IT operations;
  • Travis Hancock, vice president corporate finance;
  • Brian Hill, vice president IT business solutions;
  • Mike Kifer, vice president planning and analysis; and
  • Kevin Miller, vice president and general manager of Appalachia South division.

Bios

Jud Walker joined EnerVest in 2009 after working at Chesapeake Energy Corp. (NYSE: CHK) as the lead geoscientist for multiple plays within both the Delaware and Val Verde Basins. He held his previous role of president and CEO of EnerVest Operating since July 2016. He was also named as one of Oil and Gas Investor's Forty Under 40 honorees in 2017.

Zazzi has been with EnerVest Operating for 13 years in multiple positions of increasing responsibility. Prior to his role as executive vice president and COO, he managed the company’s North Texas and Midcontinent assets. He also has several years of experience with EnerVest Operating in drilling, completions, production and reservoir engineering in five basins across the U.S. He began his career with Schlumberger Ltd. (NYSE: SLB), specializing in offshore completions.

McKinney has been with EnerVest Operating for eight years, managing assets in the Appalachian Basin, including the Utica Shale in Ohio and the Nora Field in Virginia. Prior to joining the company, Jim worked as vice president and regional manager for Penn Virginia Corp. (NASDAQ: PVAC) and in many roles for Royal Dutch Shell Plc (NYSE: RDS.A). He has extensive experience in operations, marketing, midstream and finance in various geographic areas including the Appalachia, Gulf Coast, Arkoma, Granite Wash, Bakken Shale and Permian basins.

Vanderhider joined EnerVest in 1996 as its first CFO and was responsible for building a multi-investor private equity business. Prior to joining the company, he was executive vice president and CFO of Torch Energy and senior vice president and CFO of Nuevo Energy. Earlier in his career, he was responsible for the corporate internal audit activities of The Coastal Corp. and was CFO of Walker Energy Partners. He began his career with Touche Ross, predecessor to Deloitte, in the audit department focusing on the energy industry.

Bobrowski previously served as vice president and CFO of EV Energy Partners. Before that, he was with Citigroup Global Markets as vice president in the investment banking group. He began his career in the U.S. Army, in which he rose to the rank of captain, following his graduation from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

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