Brian Bentz, Director

Mr. Bentz currently provides advisory services to AMEC plc and serves as an independent director. Mr Bentz has held various executive positions over a 38 year career in the engineering and construction industry including President of AMEC Oilsands and Mining from 2006 to 2009, President of Project Investments, AMEC Americas and President and CEO of Simons International Corporation.

Jim Brown, Director

Mr. Brown has been an independent businessman since January 2009. Prior to this, Mr. Brown was Vice President and Chief Financial officer of Fording Canadian Coal Trust and Elk Valley Coal Partnership from 2005 to 2009. Mr. Brown also served as Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer at High Point Resources Inc. from 2004 to 2005, Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer at Terraquest Energy Corp. from 2002 to 2004, Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer at Richland Petroleum Corp. from 1997 to 2002 and Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer at Dorset Exploration Ltd. from 1995 to 1997.

Brock Gibson, Director

Brock Gibson is Chairman of Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP and also practices in the area of corporate law with a focus on mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, energy and restructuring transactions. His clients include energy and power companies, investment dealers, income funds, and service and technology companies. He also has extensive experience in all aspects of energy and power-related transactions, as well as corporate, securities, governance and trust matters affecting energy and power entities.

Michael E. Heier, Chairman

Michael Heier is the founder and Chairman of the Board of the Trinidad Drilling Ltd. and its predecessor since June of 1998. Mr. Heier also held the position of Chief Executive Officer from May 2000 to January 2008.  He is a journeyman millwright and has been involved in the oil and gas industry in western Canada since 1976. Mike played a key role in the growth of a family group of companies from that time until early 2000. At its peak activity level in 1997, this group of companies had combined revenues in excess of $50 million and employed just fewer than 400 people throughout western Canada.

Under his stewardship Trinidad Drilling Ltd., successfully achieved its IPO strategy which was implemented in the fall of 2000. Mr. Heier also served as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Trinity Energy from 1987 to 1998. Trinity Energy grew from 25 boe/d to an average of over 2,000 boe/d making it one of the largest private independent oil and gas producers in the province of Saskatchewan. During this time, Trinity Energy developed and sold over $75 million worth of oil and gas assets. Trinity Energy Ltd. became Trinity Energy Inc. in 1998 and went on to find one of the largest concentrated deposits of coal bed methane in the plains region in Alberta. This land position was successfully joint ventured with Nexen Canada in 2000. Trinity Energy Inc. operated as a public non-trading entity with approximately 135 shareholders. Trinity Energy Inc. sold all of its assets in May 2002 and the cash was returned to its shareholders. Mr. Heier is still a director of Trinity Energy Inc.

Ken Stickland, Director

Ken Stickland is the Executive Vice President, Legal for TransAlta Corporation where he is responsible for managing and directing all of TransAlta’s legal affairs. Mr. Stickland also oversees Sustainable Development, Environmental Health and Safety functions, regulatory affairs, government relations as well as providing guidance to the country manager in Australia. TransAlta is among Canada’s largest non-regulated power generation and wholesale marketing companies. Prior to joining TransAlta in 2001, Mr. Stickland was a partner with the Calgary based law firm of Burnet, Duckworth and Palmer LLP where he practiced law for twenty years. In his legal practice Mr. Stickland focused on energy related matters. Mr. Stickland holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree and a Law Degree from the University of British Columbia. He has been a member of various professional associations as well as a director of several publicly listed companies.

Lewis W. "Jody" Powers , Director

Mr. Powers is the former President of Halliburton Energy Services where he worked for over 34 years. He began his career with Halliburton in the Wireline Division in 1968 and was promoted to managerial positions in operations, business development and manufacturing split between USA and International assignments. In 2002, Mr. Powers was elected to the board of directors for Magnum Hunter Resources, a NYSE listed company before being acquired by Cimarex in 2005. He is currently a director and serves as Chief Operating Officer of Nova Biosource Fuels, Inc. Mr. Powers is a member of the Society of Engineers (SPE) and the American Petroleum Institute 25 Year Club. He earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and finance from the University of Houston in 1968. Mr. Powers brings several years of senior corporate business experience to Trinidad ’s board of directors and will serve on the audit, compensation, and environmental / safety committees.

Lyle C. Whitmarsh,
Chief Executive Officer

Lyle Whitmarsh has more than 15 years of oil and gas exploration experience. After graduating from high school in Medicine Hat, he gained many years of practical hands-on experience in the field by advancing through the various positions until 1987 when he became a Rig Manager for Champion Drilling (a division of Artisan Drilling). In 1995 he was advanced to the position of Senior Field Supervisor which included supervision of the crews and equipment for 24 drilling rigs in western Canada. After Ensign Resources Service Group Inc. acquired Artisan Drilling in 1998 Lyle became Operations Manager.

In 1999 Lyle’s career took the direction of Drilling Consultant when he formed his own company, Summit Oilfield Consulting, Ltd. In this capacity Lyle gained experience in drilling horizontal, vertical and coal bed methane wells in western Canada. He also specialized in drilling high profile wells in areas with diversified technical problems and environmental issues. Mr. Whitmarsh has been employed with Trinidad Drilling since July 2000, initially as a Field Supervisor. He was promoted to General Manager in April of 2001. In November of 2002, he was appointed President and in 2008 he became Trinidad’s Chief Executive Officer.