Russell Freeman
CEO, Board Member
Russell Freeman
CEO, Board Member
Russell Freeman serves as the Chief Executive Officer of HKN Energy, for which he serves as a board member. He formerly served as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Perot Systems Corporation. Freeman previously received his certificate as a certified public accountant. He attended Texas Tech University, where he received his Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting.
Mark Rollins
President, Board Member
Mark Rollins
President, Board Member
Rollins serves as President of HKN Energy, for which he serves as a board member. Prior to joining HKN, Rollins served as Managing Director of PetroGrowth Energy Advisors and worked in senior management positions at KPMG Consulting and Arthur Andersen Business Consulting. Rollins is a Certified Professional Landman and member of the Association of International Petroleum Negotiators. Rollins received his B.S. in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M University and his MBA from The McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas in Austin.
Steve Berger
CFO, Board Member
Steve Berger
CFO, Board Member
Before joining HKN Energy, Berger was a partner with PricewaterhouseCoopers. Based in Moscow, Russia, he led PwC’s Transactions and Corporate Finance practice for Russia and Central/Eastern Europe. In that capacity, he assisted Russian and multinational clients with mergers & acquisitions, private equity investments, finance raising, and the development of large infrastructure projects. His experience in Russia includes work on several high-profile energy transactions. Steve received his B.A. from Brown University and his MBA from Amos Tuck School, Dartmouth.
Shelby Bush
General Counsel
Shelby Bush
General Counsel
Bush oversees the legal aspects of the operations. He has 31 years domestic and international legal and industry experience. Bush was formerly Vice President and General Counsel of a US-based entity that operated, and ultimately sold, the Baituganskoye oil field in Russia. Prior to the Russian venture, he was in private practice with global law firms. Formerly, Bush was an auditor for KPMG. Shelby received both his B.B.A. in Accounting and his Juris Doctor from the University of Oklahoma.
Kristy Macktinger
Executive Vice President
Kristy Macktinger
Executive Vice President
Kristy is responsible for HKN Energy’s Finance division and has led that team since 2012. She joined HKN Energy after serving as Vice President of Financial Planning and Analysis with Hillwood Development Corporation for 6 years. Kristy’s previous experience includes serving as a Vice President at Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc. where she worked as an investment banker focused on M&A and capital markets transactions for a variety of industries. Prior to Bear Stearns, Kristy served as an auditor at Arthur Andersen. Kristy is a licensed C.P.A. and earned her B.B.A. from Texas A&M University and MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Matthew Zais
VP, Government Affairs
Matthew Zais
VP, Government Affairs
Zais is a military veteran who brings more than 20 years of experience to the company having previously served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of International Affairs for the U.S. Department of Energy and as the Director for Iraq and Kurdish Affairs on the National Security Council at the White House. As HKN Energy’s Vice President of Government Affairs, Zais oversees the company’s relationships with elected officials and its public policy interests. Zais received his B.S. in Economics from the United States Military Academy at West Point and both his MPA and Ph.D. in International Relations from Princeton University.
Cale Welborn
VP, Chief Accounting Officer
Cale Welborn
VP, Chief Accounting Officer
Cale Welborn oversees HKN Energy’s accounting, treasury and risk management functions and has been with the Company since 2009. Prior to joining HKN, he worked for KPMG as an auditor and is a licensed C.P.A. Cale received his B.B.A in Accounting and M.S. in Finance from Texas A&M University.
Rasmus Engell
VP, Operations
Rasmus Engell
VP, Operations
Engell brings 26 years of oil and gas experience, 16 years from Maersk Oil in the North Sea and Middle East. In 2012 he was seconded to HKN Energy from Maersk Oil as Drilling Superintendent, and then joined HKN Energy as staff in 2018 taking the role as Operations Manager. Engell received his M.Sc in Applied Physics from the Technical University of Denmark.
Srood Mukhtar
VP, Commercial & Government Affairs - Iraq
Srood Mukhtar
VP, Commercial & Government Affairs - Iraq
Mukhtar is the Vice President of Commercial and Government Affairs (Iraq) at HKN Energy and serves as the Vice Chairman of the Management Committee for the Sarsang and Atrush blocks in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. He brings 18 years of industry experience, including 14 years at HKN Energy across numerous functions, including subsurface, commercial, supply chain and government affairs. Before joining HKN, Mukhtar worked for Genel/Addax (TTOPCO). He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Petroleum Geology and an MSc degree in Reservoir Engineering.
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