Board &
Management
Datuk Bolhassan Di (Bolhassan)
Chairman and Chief executive officer
Bolhassan, an elected member of the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly from 1987 to 2011, has many years of political and commercial experience within the region. Bolhassan has held positions as Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, Assistant Minister in the Sarawak Chief Minister’s Department and subsequently Assistant Minister at the Ministry of Infrastructure Development and Communication.
A graduate of the School of Engineering at Sheffield University, Bolhassan began his career in 1979 at Sarawak Shell Bhd. (a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell plc) where he gained project planning, design, construction, commissioning and start-up experience in offshore projects. These included the F6A project in Sarawak waters (the largest offshore gas project in the region), the E11 and F23 gas production projects in Sarawak waters and also projects such as the St Joseph and South Furious offshore oil production platforms in Sabah waters.
From 1987 to 1997, Bolhassan was also the Chairman of the Miri Port Authority, now a key economic catalyst in the industrial and economic development of Sarawak and an important port for not only Sarawak’s, but Malaysia’s, development of trade with the rest of the world.
Bolhassan has had significant oil and gas experience with Shell in South Korea, Singapore, the North Sea and the Netherlands.
Dixon Wong
Non-Executive Director
Dixon is a director of a number of businesses owned by Tune Group and has been involved in a variety of roles within the organisation including but not limited to, corporate finance, group strategy, driving organisational change and synergies across organisations for the group. Tune Assets Limited, one of Upland’s major shareholders, is part of the Tune Group of companies which holds major or controlling stakes in companies including AirAsia, Queens Park Rangers FC and Caterham Cars Ltd.
Dixon has previously worked for HSBC Bank Malaysia and the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi. Dixon holds a BCom, Accounting and Finance from the University of Queensland, Australia and a Master of Business degree from the Queensland University of Technology.
Aimi Nasharuddin
Non-Executive Director
Mr Nasharuddin carries over 28 years of business, corporate finance and hands-on operational experience. An accountant by profession, he started his career in Arthur Andersen & Co. as an auditor and business advisor where he was involved in mapping out strategies & implementing business processes for various sectors of corporates, including manufacturing, financial & investment, property & development, construction and oil & gas based companies.
He later gained further expertise in the corporate world at CIMB Investment Bank Berhad, the largest investment bank in Malaysia, where he was integral to some of the largest transactions involving financial restructuring, business re-engineering, take-overs, reverse take-overs, acquisitions and corporate financing.
Professor Andrew Hurst
Non-Executive Technical Director
Professor Hurst brings with him a wealth of industry knowledge and expertise and has a proven track record in generating new oil-rich exploration plays. He has strong O&G industry connections that include research investment. With a distinguished academic career, Andrew currently the Chair of Energy Geoscience at the University of Aberdeen and was also academic lead for the creation and development of the Department of Petroleum Geoscience and a new MSc course in Petroleum Geoscience at University of Brunei. Andrew has also served as advisor to and / or member to the Danish, Norwegian and UK Energy national research councils.
John Forrest
Chief Financial Officer
Chuck is a CPA CA who qualified with PWC in Canada. With 25 years of experience in the minerals sector, split between Toronto and London, he has been involved in the financial administration and financing of private and public companies with projects located in several countries in southern Africa as well as Indonesia and China.
Gerard Murray
Chief Operating Officer
Gerry has an MSc in Oil and Gas Enterprise Management from Aberdeen University, a BEng in Automotive Engineering and a Dip in Finance from Smurfit Business School, Dublin. Having specialised in subsea engineering Gerry has worked on a number of major capital projects with companies such as Chevron, BP and Aker Solutions.
Thomas Nyanat
Chief Executive Officer, Upland Big Oil Sdn Bhd
Thomas is a distinguished geologist and oil and gas professional with over four decades of global experience in technical and leadership roles. He graduated with a geology degree from the National University of Malaysia. His key expertise includes exploration and development geology, reservoir management, and unconventional resources for both Onshore and Offshore environments. He has a proven track record in strategic planning, organisational development, and driving innovation. Thomas is also recognized for his versatility in additional roles and his commitment to mentoring and developing junior professionals. His past career of over 41 years which includes leadership roles as Capability Management and Chief Petroleum Engineer with Shell Malaysia, Geology Discipline Leader with Shell International USA (SIEP Inc.), Chief Geologist for the Petroleum Oil and Gas Corporation of South Africa (PetroSA), and General Manager for Onshore Assets with Petroleum Sarawak Bhd (PETROS) reflects a blend of operational excellence and impactful contributions to the industry’s growth.