EQT Corp. (NYSE: EQT) on Oct. 25 announced several changes to its executive leadership as the Pittsburgh-based natural gas producer prepares for the approaching separation of its upstream and midstream businesses.

As part of the transformation, EQT said general counsel and vice president of external affairs Lewis Gardner, senior vice president and president of exploration and production David Schlosser Jr. and chief investor relations officer Patrick Kane have stepped down from their positions with the company and its subsidiaries, effective immediately.

Incoming president and CEO Rob McNally said in a statement: “On behalf of EQT and the entire board, I want to thank Lew, David and Pat for their contributions to EQT and for their many years of service; in particular, for their work on two transformative transactions, the acquisition of Rice Energy and the upcoming upstream and midstream business separation.”

In August, McNally was named to serve EQT’s next president and CEO, filling a vacancy left open since the 130-year-old Appalachia shale company’s former head, Steven Schlotterbeck, resigned over a pay dispute earlier this year.

McNally’s appointment as president and CEO will take effect upon completion of EQT’s upstream and midstream business separation launched in February, where the company plans to spin off its midstream business to create a stand-alone publicly traded company named Equitrans Midstream Corp.

As a result of the transformation, EQT said Oct. 25 Jonathan Lushko has been promoted to general counsel and senior vice president of government affairs. He previously served as the company deputy general counsel of governance and enterprise risk and has been with EQT since 2006.

Prior to joining EQT, Lushko served as an associate attorney with Reed Smith LLP, a Pittsburgh-based international law firm. He holds a Juris Doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh.

Additionally, Erin Centofanti has been promoted to executive vice president of production. Centofanti joined EQT in 2004 as a reservoir engineer and has held various positions since that time, most recently as senior vice president of asset development for EQT Production.

Centofanti began her career at Chevron Corp., where she worked as a production and reservoir engineer. She is on the board of the Pittsburgh Botanic Garden and holds a Bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the Pennsylvania State University.

Lastly, Blake McLean has also been promoted to senior vice president of investor relations and strategy for EQT. McLean previously served as a director of planning, tax, and innovation for EQT since joining the company in 2016.

Prior to EQT, McLean served as director of institutional equity sales for Simmons Energy, a division of Piper Jaffray. He holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Stanford University Graduate School of Business and a Bachelor’s degree in business administration from The University of Texas at Austin.

“Today, EQT is at an important transition point, and we are confident that the company is well-positioned to advance its strategy while implementing the spin-off of Equitrans Midstream Corporation on November 12, 2018. We are excited to welcome Jonathan, Erin and Blake to their new roles and look forward to working with them to deliver long-term value to our shareholders,” EQT’s board of directors said in an issued statement.

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