China’s Sinopec Offers $7.22 Billion for Oil Firm

[Coventina]

Source: New York Times

The giant Chinese oil company Sinopec has made a $7.22 billion takeover bid for the international oil and gas exploration company Addax Petroleum, the companies announced Wednesday.

The takeover would give Sinopec access to Addax’s stakes in oil fields off the coast of West Africa, as well as in Iraq. Sinopec already has interests in Gabon as well as Sudan. Its parent, Sinopec Group, is wholly owned by the Chinese government.

Sinopec, formally known as China Petroleum and Chemical Corp., is offering 52.80 Canadian dollars, or $46.12, per share for the remaining common shares of Addax. The Addax board has recommended that shareholders accept the agreement, and senior executives have signed onto a lock-up agreement to sell Sinopec their 38 percent stake in the company.

Jean Claude Gandur, president and chief executive of Addax, said in a statement announcing the deal that they were “pleased that Sinopec has recognized the highly attractive asset portfolio and exceptional team that we have assembled.”

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/25/business/global/25oil.html?ref=global

[Blaze Diem]

1. ADDAX Board of Directors:

http://www.addaxpetroleum.com/company_profile/board_directors/biographies#dey
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Peter Dey, Director, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chairman of the Corporate Governance, Nominating and Compensation Committee

Peter Dey, Director, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chairman of the Corporate Governance, Nominating and Compensation CommitteeMr. Dey is also the Chairman of Paradigm Capital Inc. and a former partner of Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, a law firm specializing in corporate and securities law. From 1994 to 2001, he was Chairman of Morgan Stanley Canada Limited where he was responsible for the overall strategic direction of Morgan Stanley in Canada. Mr. Dey previously chaired The Toronto Stock Exchange Committee on Corporate Governance in Canada which released a report entitled ‘‘Where Were the Directors?’’ in December 1994. From 1983 to 1985, Mr. Dey was the Chairman of the Ontario Securities Commission. Mr. Dey is the chairman of the Private Sector Advisory Group of the Global Corporate Governance Forum established by the World Bank and the OECD. Mr. Dey is the vice-chairman of the Boardroom Advisory Panel established by the OECD. Mr. Dey has a Bachelor of Science from Queen’s University, a Bachelor of Laws degree from Dalhousie University and a Master of Laws degree from Harvard University. Mr. Dey is also a director of Goldcorp Inc., Coventree Inc. and Redcorp Ventures Ltd.



Jean Claude Gandur, President, Chief Executive Officer and Director

Jean Claude Gandur, President, Chief Executive Officer and DirectorMr. Gandur is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Addax Petroleum Corporation. Mr. Gandur has worked with major commodity traders including Philipp Brothers from 1976 to 1983, where he was Manager of the African/Latin American division; Sigmoil Resources N.V. from 1984 to 1986, where he was the Managing Director; and Kaines SA from 1986 to 1988, where he was the Managing Director. For ten years Mr. Gandur was honorary consul for the Republic of Congo in Geneva. Mr. Gandur was also awarded a diplomatic passport by Senegal. In addition, he has received the decorations of Grand Officer of the Lion Order of Senegal and Commander of the National Order of Benin. Mr. Gandur is one of the founders of AOG, of which he is Chairman of the Supervisory Board. Mr. Gandur is also the Non-Executive Chairman of AXMIN Inc. Mr. Gandur is a Swiss citizen and studied law at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland.



Brian Anderson, Director and Chairman of the Technical and Reserves Committee

Brian Anderson, Director and Chairman of the Technical and Reserves Committee Before retiring in 2000, Mr Anderson had a 34-year professional career, largely in the Royal Dutch/Shell Group of Companies. Mr. Anderson was appointed Managing Director of the Shell Petroleum Development Company and Chairman of Shell Nigeria in January 1994. His last assignment before retirement was three years based in Beijing as Chairman of the Shell Companies in North East Asia, principally involved in China and Hong Kong, but he also had overall responsibility for Shell’s interests in Korea and Taiwan. Mr. Anderson is currently Chairman and Managing Director of Anderson Energy (Hong Kong) Limited, a consulting company which he set up in 2000 to specialize in assisting companies mostly in Africa and China in the energy sector. Mr. Anderson was born in Nigeria and is a citizen of the United Kingdom and studied Metaliferous Mining Engineering at Cambourne in the United Kingdom followed by an MSc in Petroleum Reservoir Engineering at London University.



James Davie, Director

James Davie, Director Mr. Davie has over 29 years of investment banking experience with RBC Dominion Securities Inc. before retiring in 2002. Mr. Davie held a number of senior positions at RBC Dominion Securities Inc. including Managing Director of Investment Banking and Head of Equity Capital Markets from 1987 to 1999. Mr. Davie has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Toronto and a Master of Business Administration from Queen’s University. Mr. Davie is also a director of Range Royalty Management Ltd., a member of the Independent Review Committee for the Brompton Group of Funds, and a member of the Advisory Board for KEP I and KEP II Funds.



Stephen Paul de Heinrich, Director

Stephen Paul de Heinrich, Director Mr. de Heinrich has more than 30 years experience in trading and investment in Africa. He has been instrumental in organizing counter trading export pre-financing and syndicated financial transactions in several African countries. Mr. de Heinrich is now an independent consultant as well as an associate in Beldi & Cie S.A., a Geneva based corporate finance house. He was a non-executive director of AOG from 1988 to 1991 and since then has been the Vice Chairman of its supervisory board. He has been chairman and a director of SAMAX Resources Limited and Carpathian Gold Limited, among other companies. Mr. de Heinrich is a citizen of both Canada and Hungary and has a degree in economics from McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada.



Gerry Macey, Director

Gerry Macey, Director Mr. Macey has over 31 years of oil and gas industry experience. In particular, from 2002 to March 2004, he served as Executive Vice President and President, International New Ventures Exploration Division, of EnCana Corporation, and from 1999 to 2002, he served as Executive Vice President, Exploration, of PanCanadian Petroleum Corporation. Mr. Macey holds a Bachelor of Science degree in geotechnical science from Loyola College in Montreal (now Concordia University) and a Master of Science degree in geology from Carleton University in Ottawa. Mr. Macey is also a director of Andorra Energy Corp., Verenex Energy Inc. and PanOrient Energy Corp.



Afolabi Oladele, Director

Afolabi Oladele, Director Mr. Oladele has over 25 years experience in the oil and gas industry. He worked from 1977 to 1988 for Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in the marketing department and from 1988 to 1999 for National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS) latterly as Group Executive Director, Refining and Petrochemical. He is a Partner, Oil & Gas, for Capital Alliance Nigeria, Chairman of Subsurface Assets Management Co and Netco-Dietsmann Ltd, and a director of Freezone Fabrication International Oil & Gas Facilities Fabrication Co, DeltaAfrik, Sudelletra Nigeria Ltd, and the Addax and Oryx Group. Mr. Oladele is a citizen of Nigeria and studied Chemical Engineering at the University of Ife followed by Petroleum Economics at the French Petroleum Institute (IFP) in Paris and a post Graduate Diploma in Energy Modelling and Large Scale Planning Systems at the University of Southern California. Mr. Oladele also has a Certificate in Applied International Management IFL from Sigtuna, Sweden.



Wesley Twiss, Director and Chairman of the Audit Committee

Wesley Twiss, Director and Chairman of the Audit Committee Mr. Twiss is a corporate director with 35 years of energy industry experience, including 13 years as the senior financial officer of two major Canadian companies. He was Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of PanCanadian Energy Corporation from October 2000 until April 2002 and was Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Petro-Canada from 1998 through 2000. In those roles, Mr. Twiss was responsible for directing all aspects of corporate financial affairs, as well as strategic management and corporate development. He is a Director and Audit Committee Chair of each of Canadian Oil Sands Trust, Keyera Facilities Income Fund and EPCOR. Mr. Twiss holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Toronto and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Western Ontario. Mr. Twiss is a graduate of the Directors Education Program, Corporate Governance College of the Institute of Corporate Directors and holds the ICD.D designation.