Directors & Executive

Les Thomas has over 40 years’ experience in the oil and gas industry in various subsurface, engineering, operational and senior management positions. He has been instrumental in growing a number of small and large publicly listed businesses, through phases of organic growth and via asset acquisitions and corporate transactions.  He has also delivered upon the successful sale and exit of various assets and companies.

Les was formerly the CEO of Ithaca Energy from 2013 to 2020 and previously served for eight years on the Board of John Wood Group plc, as the Chief Executive of its Production Facilities business and the Group Director responsible for HSE. Prior to this, he spent 22 years with Marathon Oil UK Limited in various locations and roles, including four years as European Business Unit Leader.

Les is an independent director of Repsol Resources UK Limited, which has a significant UK North Sea portfolio, a Non-Executive Director of privately owned Denholm Energy Services Ltd, as well as serving as a Non-Executive Director of Avingtrans Plc, an AIM quoted engineering and manufacturing business.

Les has a BSc (1st class hons) in Civil Engineering and a master’s degree in petroleum engineering, both from Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh.

Andrew Benitz was a Founding Director of Jersey Oil and Gas E&P Ltd (now a subsidiary of Jersey Oil and Gas plc) and has over 20 years’ experience in financial markets and company management.  Andrew has significant experience in leading and growing ambitious and focused oil and gas businesses and has a wealth of listed company experience.

Prior to founding Jersey Oil and Gas, Andrew was CEO of Longreach Oil and Gas Ltd, a TSX-V quoted company. He joined Longreach in 2009 as Chief Operating Officer when it was a small private company and oversaw the company’s growth, by building a significant portfolio of oil and gas assets in Morocco. Prior to his move into industry, Andrew worked at Deutsche Bank AG as an Analyst within the Oil and Gas Investment Banking Group, as well as within the Equity Capital Markets team, where he worked on a broad range of oil and gas M&A transactions, together with equity and equity-related financings.

Andrew is a Non-Executive Director of Kalahari Copper Ltd, an African copper exploration business and a founder and Director of Titan Properties SL, a real estate business in Spain. Andrew has a BSc (Honours) in Commerce from Edinburgh University.

Graham Forbes is a Chartered Accountant with over 25 years’ experience in the oil and gas industry.  Graham has a wealth of experience of managing and financing growing private and publicly listed oil and gas companies, along with significant M&A experience.

Prior to joining Jersey Oil & Gas in 2021, Graham was the CFO of Ithaca Energy from 2010 to 2020. During this period, Graham was instrumental in transforming the company into a major independent UKCS operator through both organic developments and multiple acquisitions. He has extensive quoted company and corporate finance experience, having completed various debt and equity market offerings and the US$1.2 billion sale and subsequent delisting of Ithaca Energy.

Graham qualified as a Chartered Accountant at PricewaterhouseCoopers before moving to ExxonMobil, where for over five years he worked on a variety of operational and acquisition-based projects. Prior to his move to Ithaca Energy, Graham joined First Oil Group in 2002 where, as Finance Director and then Executive Director, he helped develop the business into the UK’s then largest privately owned E&P company.

Graham has a MA(Hons) in Economics with Accountancy from Aberdeen University.

Frank Moxon has nearly 35 years’ experience as a corporate financier and financial adviser to companies, ranging from start-ups to businesses over £3 billion in size, in a wide range of industry sectors.  For the last 26 years, he has specialised in the oil & gas and mining sectors, where he has successfully advised growth-focused companies on financial structuring, equity and debt capital raisings and M&A transactions across a variety of different strategic contexts and geographic locations. He played a key role in facilitating the reverse takeover that introduced the Company to its initial oil & gas asset portfolio.

Frank has held several senior management roles within the financial services industry and, in addition to having been Senior Independent Director at Cove Energy Plc, has been a director of various oil & gas and mining companies listed in London, Australia and Canada. He is currently also a non-executive director of PHSC Plc and the East of England Co-operative Society.

Frank has a BSc in Economics and is a Fellow of the Energy Institute and an Honorary Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment.

Andrew Benitz was a Founding Director of Jersey Oil and Gas E&P Ltd (now a subsidiary of Jersey Oil and Gas plc) and has over 20 years’ experience in financial markets and company management.  Andrew has significant experience in leading and growing ambitious and focused oil and gas businesses and has a wealth of listed company experience.

Prior to founding Jersey Oil and Gas, Andrew was CEO of Longreach Oil and Gas Ltd, a TSX-V quoted company. He joined Longreach in 2009 as Chief Operating Officer when it was a small private company and oversaw the company’s growth, by building a significant portfolio of oil and gas assets in Morocco. Prior to his move into industry, Andrew worked at Deutsche Bank AG as an Analyst within the Oil and Gas Investment Banking Group, as well as within the Equity Capital Markets team, where he worked on a broad range of oil and gas M&A transactions, together with equity and equity-related financings.

Andrew is a Non-Executive Director of Kalahari Copper Ltd, an African copper exploration business and a founder and Director of Titan Properties SL, a real estate business in Spain. Andrew has a BSc (Honours) in Commerce from Edinburgh University.

Graham Forbes is a Chartered Accountant with over 25 years’ experience in the oil and gas industry.  Graham has a wealth of experience of managing and financing growing private and publicly listed oil and gas companies, along with significant M&A experience.

Prior to joining Jersey Oil & Gas in 2021, Graham was the CFO of Ithaca Energy from 2010 to 2020. During this period, Graham was instrumental in transforming the company into a major independent UKCS operator through both organic developments and multiple acquisitions. He has extensive quoted company and corporate finance experience, having completed various debt and equity market offerings and the US$1.2 billion sale and subsequent delisting of Ithaca Energy.

Graham qualified as a Chartered Accountant at PricewaterhouseCoopers before moving to ExxonMobil, where for over five years he worked on a variety of operational and acquisition-based projects. Prior to his move to Ithaca Energy, Graham joined First Oil Group in 2002 where, as Finance Director and then Executive Director, he helped develop the business into the UK’s then largest privately owned E&P company.

Graham has a MA(Hons) in Economics with Accountancy from Aberdeen University.

Richard Smith joined Jersey Oil and Gas as the Chief Commercial Officer in 2021 and has over 25 years’ experience in the oil and gas industry and wider energy sector.  Richard has previously worked in various senior business development, commercial, corporate finance and strategy positions, bringing to the Company a wealth of practical skills and knowledge in delivering organic and acquisition-led growth.  Richard has substantial listed company experience and has managed the execution of various US listed debt and equity placings.

Richard was previously Corporate Development Director at Ithaca Energy, where he spent 10 years working to deliver its successful growth from a small-cap E&P business into one of the largest independent UK North Sea oil and gas producers.  Prior to joining Ithaca Energy, Richard spent eight years with TotalEnergies working in its UK North Sea business and at its head office in France. He commenced his career in the energy industry as a consultant at EA Technology, working on various financial and regulatory assignments associated with liberalisation of the European electricity and gas industries.

Richard is an economist by background and has an MSC in Business Economics from the University of Strathclyde and a PhD from the University of Manchester.