Mr. Smith brings over 35 years of combined technical and managerial experience in the oil and gas industry. He served as a COO with both PetroBank and PetroBakken Resources. At Petrobank he led the Canadian Business unit’s growth from 2,000 BOEPD to over 22,000 boepd. In 2009 he led the spinout of the business unit from Petrobank to form the new enterprise PetroBakken, which subsequently grew to over 50,000 BOEPD. Production growth evolved from aggressive drilling in resource plays following the strategic acquisitions of under-developed assets through transactions in excess of $4.5bn. Through his career Mr. Smith was fortunate to work in technical and executive roles across Western Canada, Offshore Louisiana & Texas, and international projects in the Middle East. In 2009 Mr. Smith received the honour of receiving “Saskatchewan Oilman of the Year” for the achievements of the multi-discipline team he led in optimizing drilling and completion techniques in the Bakken play providing a major increase in oil productivity per well. Mr. Smith also served in multiple roles on numerous corporate boards within the oil and gas industry.