John Irwin, the company’s current president and CEO, shall retire from such positions but may continue as an employee of the company to July 31, 2010, to provide for an appropriate transition.
Mr Saltiel has been nominated for election to the company’s board of directors by the company’s shareholders. Mr Irwin will serve out his current term as a member of the company’s board of directors.
Mr Saltiel brings to his new role over twenty years of experience in the energy industry, including general management, operations, commercial and strategic planning experience with organizations such as Exxon Mobil, Nabors Industries, McKinsey & Company and Transocean.
Most recently, he was executive vice president and COO of Transocean having previously served as executive vice president of performance and senior vice president of Transocean’s then North and South America unit, which covers the US Gulf of Mexico, Canada, Trinidad and Brazil. He served earlier as Transocean’s senior vice president of marketing and planning.
Hans Helmerich, chairman of the board, said: “We are pleased with Rob’s decision to join Atwood. His strong operational experience around deepwater operations and his track record of working closely with customers will strengthen the company’s leadership position.”
