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Gulf Keystone (LSE:GKP) share price rose by 4.75 pence today back to 150.00, an increase of 3.27%. The company is evidencing it’s seriousness regarding its aggressive plans to move from the AIM to the Main Market on the London Exchange and to exploit its Shaikan oil field operations. The company, which has struggled to gain ground to return to above the 200 pence mark, is the most widely held AIM stock. GKP’s share price was boosted today by the appointment of it’s new Non-Executive Chairman.
Which leads me to ask the question, “How do you select a Chairman that turns shareholders’ heads, raises eyebrows, and gets the attention of investors?”
The answer is that you pick someone who has “been there – done that” and done it well. In fact, you pick someone who has “gone where no man has gone before.” Other than Captain James Tiberius Kirk, not many fit that description.
But consider a man who:
- Spent five years in the French Foreign Legion, then, when offered a promotion, decided to leave.
- At the age of 63 became the oldest man to walk to the South Pole unaided.
- Three years earlier ran 242 kilometers across the desert in Morocco.
- Has served as chairman of General Enterprise Management Services (GEMS) and the Sheraton and Hilton Hotels.
- Served on boards or advisory boards of Tommy Hilfiger, Vivendi, Vodafone, General Electric, Imperial College, China National Offshore Oil Corporation, and others.
- Has been awarded the Order of Merit of the French Republic, is a “Chevalier de La Legion d’Honneur”, and a “Commander of the British Empire”.
- Was Executive Chairman of Deutsche Bank Group in Asia and Chairman of Glencore International.
And, to add a bit of icing on the cake – and I say icing because it has nothing to do with his own organizational prowess, but it does show that he knows how to pick a winner – his wife is the first woman to circumnavigate the globe in a helicopter.
Some would call that history an impressive resume. I can only imagine the interview.
Question: What do you like to do in your spare time?
Answer: I like to run and walk.
Question: Do you do that in the park?
Answer: No I like to run in the desert and walk to the South Pole.
Apparently GKP was duly impressed, because they have appointed Simon Murray as their new Chairman. CEO Todd Kozel, said “I am delighted to welcome Simon to the Board. Simon’s wealth of international business experience, particularly his experience in listing and chairing an FTSE 100 company, will be invaluable in leading our migration from AIM to the Main Market as we transition into the next phase of the Company’s development and become a significant oil producer in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.”
Murray responded saying that “Todd and his team have done a great job building Gulf Keystone from a small exploration company into a multi-billion dollar company. The recent approval of the Shaikan Field Development Plan, one of currently only three in the region, is a testament to his strong relationships with key stakeholders in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.”
Gulf Keystone is an exciting company heading for exciting times. It was a wise move to select an exciting leader to help them blaze those new trails.
