Leadership

Kazuhiko “Kazu” Gomi

President & CEO

Prior to his appointment as President & CEO of MEPUSA in January 2019, Kazu was Deputy General Manager Mozambique Projects Division, Energy Business Unit II. Kazu has held a variety of senior management roles within Mitsui and has vast experience in oil and gas (LNG, Gas to Power, Renewables), LNG projects (NWS, Qatar, Oman, Equatorial Guinea, Mozambique), and petroleum trading and supply, with assignments in Tokyo, London, and USA. His career and accomplishments with Mitsui & Co. span over 25 years. Kazu holds a bachelor's degree in engineering of metallurgy in Hokkaido University.

Toshiyuki “Toshi” Ishigami

Executive Vice President, CFO & CCO

Toshi was appointed as the CFO and CCO of MEPUSA in July 2019. He has over 25 years of experience with Mitsui & Co., Ltd. and a strong background in Accounting and Tax. His experience includes six years at Mitsui's regional headquarters in the U.S. and five years in the U.K. He also engaged in the global group consolidation accounting and disclosure of the financial statements to the public in the Global Controller Division of Mitsui & Co., Ltd. in Japan for nine years. Toshi holds a bachelor’s degree in commerce from Waseda University in Japan.

Guillermo “Bill” Martinez

Executive Vice President & COO

Bill has been involved in the oil and gas business since 1989. He started his career with Exxon and held various operational and technical roles, as well as asset development and leadership roles in increasing areas of responsibility. He left ExxonMobil in 2003 and has worked for Burlington Resources, Anadarko Petroleum, and Chesapeake Energy in various leadership roles responsible for asset management and business delivery for a variety of assets including West Texas, Deepwater GOM, and Eagle Ford. He joined MEPUSA in 2019 as Senior Vice President of Operations to help guide Mitsui’s efforts to expand our influence and become a US Onshore operator. In October 2020, Bill was promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. Bill holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering from the University of Texas at El Paso and received his MBA from Rice University.

Tomohiro “Tom” Sunada

Executive Vice President, CSO and Company Secretary

Tom has been engaged in the oil and gas business since he joined Mitsui & Co., Ltd. in 1996. He has held a variety of positions including an assignment in Kuwait and as Vice President for MitEnergy Upstream LLC from 2006-2012, and now as the Executive Vice President, CSO and Company Secretary for MEPUSA since October 2020. He has gained valuable experience in corporate planning and growth strategy during the past several years. Tom received his Bachelor of Arts in policy management from Keio University in Japan.

Steven Huddleston

Vice President, Business Development

Steve has been involved in the oil and gas business since 1977 and graduated with a degree in petroleum engineering in 1986. He started his career with Dowell as a Field Engineer in Michigan and Illinois. In 1988 he moved to Marathon Oil Company where he held various operational and technical roles, in increasing areas of responsibility. Through the latter half of his career at Marathon he worked in business development both in the US and internationals arenas. He retired from Marathon in 2013, joining MEPUSA in 2015 as Drilling, Completions and Production Manager for the Marcellus asset, then becoming General Manager for the Marcellus asset and Business Development. On January 1, 2020, Steve was promoted to Vice President of Business Development to help MEPUSA transform and grow the company throughout the Americas and with a focus toward becoming a US Onshore operator.

Courtney Ranney

Controller

Courtney is currently the Controller for MEPUSA and is responsible for its accounting and tax functions. He has close to twenty years of experience working in various finance, accounting and tax roles within public accounting and the oil & gas industry. Prior to joining MEPUSA, he was the Corporate Controller for Rosehill Resources, and has held various leadership positions at Southwestern Energy and Ernst & Young. Courtney holds a bachelor's degree in accounting from the University of Maryland and received his MBA in finance from Cal State East Bay. He is also a CPA, licensed in Texas.

Ryan Wilson

General Manager, Marcellus and Exploration Manager

Ryan is an energy entrepreneur specialized in creating real value through exploration and development of global energy resources working with highly effective, integrated, and diverse teams across the value chain since 1999. He joined MEPUSA in 2020 after a 20-year career with Anadarko Petroleum Corporation where he obtained investment experience in conventional and unconventional, domestic and international, onshore and deep-water, and operated and non-operated projects working various positions within exploration and production across their global footprint.

Keith Nosich

General Manager, Eagle Ford and HSE Operations Advisor

Keith has been involved in the oil and gas business since 1983. He spent his entire career, prior to MEPUSA, with Anadarko Petroleum and its predecessor companies and has held various operational and engineering technical roles, as well as asset development and leadership roles with increasing areas of responsibility. He has worked several domestic areas in both a Midstream and Upstream capacity including the Rockies, Mid-Continent, Gulf Coast, NE USA, California, Shelf and Deepwater GOM, and West Texas. He joined MEPUSA in 2020 as General Manager of the Eagle Ford Asset and HSE Advisor to help expand our influence and become an Operator in the US Onshore. Keith holds a bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering from the University of Wyoming and received his MBA from Texas Christian University.

Benny Zhang

Director, IT

Before his appointment as IT Director of MEPUSA, Benny has held various IT management positions with multiple manufacturing and oil and gas companies. He has twenty years of experience in information technology and managing diverse IT teams. Benny oversees the IT department for MEPUSA and our sister company, Mitsui & Co. Energy Marketing & Services (USA), Inc. (MEMS). After joining the company in 2015, Benny has helped the IT department redefine its mission to Protect the Company and Be a Business Enabler and championed the Users First, Same-Day Service initiative. Benny holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering and a master’s degree in chemistry. He is also a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP).

Valerie Richards

Director, Human Resources and General Affairs

Valerie joined MEPUSA in 2017 and currently serves as the Director of Human Resources and General Affairs. Valerie oversees all aspects of human resources and office administration for MEPUSA and our sister company, Mitsui & Co. Energy Marketing & Services (USA), Inc. (MEMS). Prior to joining Mitsui, Valerie spent 8 years at oil and gas operating company EnerVest, Ltd. in various HR roles of increasing responsibility. Valerie received her MBA from the University of Houston - Clear Lake and her BS in human resource development from Texas A&M University. She holds the Professional of Human Resources (PHR) certification and the SHRM-CP certification.

Ryan Recio

Director, Legal

Ryan joined MEPUSA in August of 2010 as the head of the Land Department, overseeing the Marcellus and Eagle Ford shale assets. In February of 2018, Ryan was appointed to lead the newly created Legal Department and was promoted in March 2021 to the Director of Legal in charge of the review and negotiation of commercial contracts, as well as the coordination of legal strategy with outside counsel in transactional matters and litigation. Prior to joining MEPUSA, Ryan worked as a landman for Houston-based, independent Medallion Oil Company and Finkelstein Partners Ltd. where he was involved in the negotiation of various oil and gas contracts and the maintenance of Medallion’s interests in South Texas.