Valiant Petroleum says that David Blackwood CBE has joined Valiant's Board as a non-executive director as of 11 August 2009.

David has a wealth of upstream oil industry experience gained during a career which has spanned 34 years, the majority of which was spent in various global roles at BP plc. Prior to his retirement earlier this year, David spent the past six years leading BP's upstream business in the UK and Norway.

Prior to joining Britoil plc in 1982, David worked in a variety of roles with Schlumberger in the North Sea, Oman and Kuwait. His subsequent roles within BP Exploration have included Business Unit Leader positions in Alaska, Aberdeen and Glasgow, and worldwide Technology Vice President for Projects and Engineering.

David was a founding Co-Chairman of Oil & Gas UK, the industry trade organisation which succeeded the UK Offshore Operators Association, and was a Member of PILOT, the UK Government/Industry Energy Forum. He was also a Member of the Board of Scottish Enterprise Grampian, and currently is the Vice Chairman of ACSEF (Aberdeen City and Shire Economic Future).

David, 55, holds a BSc (Eng) from Glasgow University.

Peter Buchanan, Valiant's CEO, said, "We are extremely pleased to welcome David to the Board of Valiant and look forward to benefitting from his experience and insights into operating and growing a full-cycle E&P business in the North Sea."

David Blackwood, commenting on his appointment, said, "Valiant Petroleum has a strong team and a definite North Sea growth strategy. I am pleased to join the Board at this exciting time for the Company."

Tags: Valiant Petroleum Limited