Eni has transferred a top executive between two of Kazakhstan’s largest oil and gas developments, in which the Italian major holds stakes.
Giancarlo Ruiu is set to be transferred from Kazakhstan’s second largest onshore oil and gas development project, Karachaganak, to take on the post of managing director at the country’s top offshore hydrocarbon development, Kashagan in March this year.
Both projects are operated under production sharing agreements with the Kazakh government and are set for multibillion-dollar upgrade and expansion programmes, with Kashagan aiming to increase hydrocarbon production and Karachaganak aiming to maintain plateau output.
Kashagan’s operator, North Caspian Operating Company (NCOC), said in a statement that Ruiu will replace Olivier Lazare, who has led the project since June 2021.
Lazare has brought “a wealth of upstream and integrated gas experience from international onshore and offshore projects as he had served at Shell throughout his career of 35-plus years”, the operator said.
NCOC said that Ruiu has more than 20 years of experience within oil and gas fields management, both in Kazakhstan and elsewhere, where he held managerial roles covering the full cycle of exploration, development and operations, as well as business development.
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Since June 2021, Ruiu has been holding the position of general director of Karachaganak Petroleum Operating, which is the operator of the same-name project.
Before that, he was head of surface programme in a joint venture between Eni and Adnoc in Abu Dhabi, managing director in Eni Ghana and Kashagan Phase 1 development director, with this assignment running from 2013 and 2016.
Following Ruiu’s departure from Karachaganak Petroleum Operating, his role will be taken up by a secondee from Shell, Marco Marsili, the operator said.
Since 2002, Marsili has held various managerial positions at Shell on projects spanning the Netherlands, Italy, the UK, Iraq, the US, Canada, Mexico, Argentina and Brazil.
Prior to the appointment as KPO general director, Marsili was managing director and president of the board for Shell’s oil and gas operations in Italy.
Eni and Shell hold an almost 17% stake each in Kashagan and a 29% shareholding in Karachaganak.