Our Team

Home – Our Team

  • Our Team

Board & Management

Experienced leadership combining deep regional knowledge, technical expertise and capital markets experience to drive Upland’s strategy and long-term growth.

Datuk Bolhassan Di

Chairman and CEO

Read More
Aimi Nasharuddin

Non-Executive Director

Read More
Professor Andrew Hurst

Non-Executive Technical Director

Read More
Dr. Razak Damit

Non-Executive Director

Read More
Gerard Murray

Chief Operating Officer

Read More
Josh Galloway

Head of Drilling

Read More
Marc Bruner

Strategic Investment Advisor

Read More
Dr. Alit Ascaria

Technical Advisor Geology

Read More
Thomas Nyanat

CEO, Upland Big Oil Sdn Bhd

Read More
Farid Wahid

COO, Upland Big Oil Sdn Bhd

Read More
Filipa Marinic

Head of Marketing

Read More

Visit Investor Centre

Stay up to date with Upland’s latest announcements, corporate developments, financial information and progress across our portfolio.

Find Out More

Primarily focused on developing opportunities in South-East Asia. Potential to deliver excellent returns to our shareholders.

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Quick Links

Contact

Twitter Linkedin
Upland Resources, attractive risk – reward oil & gas company

Datuk Bolhassan Di

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.

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 is 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 of the Danish, Norwegian and UK Energy national research councils.

Dr. Razak Damit

Non-Executive Director

Dr. Damit’s expertise has made him a sought-after technical advisor in the industry, contributing to projects with prominent institutions and governments. He has made a significant contribution to defining and unlocking some of the largest discoveries in the region.

Dr. Damit’s career includes a significant tenure at Brunei Shell Petroleum, where he played pivotal roles in exploration, development, and drilling operations, including the redevelopment of the onshore Billion Barrel Seria field and various off shore including Champion West field that utilize innovative use of advanced drilling technologies such as the “snake” and “smart” well systems. He also contributed to major discoveries like the Danau-Bubut and the north flank of the Billion Barrel Seria Field and various major geological regional studies enhancing the company’s portfolio and overall production.

In addition to his work with Brunei Shell Petroleum, Dr. Damit spent nine years with PetroleumBRUNEI in both technical and leadership roles, including managing exploration and production activities, overseeing geoscience data acquisition programs, and driving international business development strategies. He was also appointed Country Manager for PetroleumBRUNEI, leading the successful entry into Myanmar, Malaysia, and Canada.

Dr. Razak Damit is a seasoned geologist with more than 35 years of experience in the upstream oil and gas industry, having worked across various exploration and development projects globally. He holds a BSc (Hons) from Portsmouth University, an MSc in Sedimentology from the Post-Graduate Research Institute for Sedimentology (PRIS), Reading University, and a PhD in Geology from Aberdeen.

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.

Josh Galloway

Head of Drilling

Josh holds a BSc in Mechanical Engineering from Robert Gordon University and completed the Driller Trainee program with Maersk Drilling. He worked offshore internationally for operators such as Exxon Mobil, Petronas, Total and Equinor, before founding Vanguard Drilling in 2016. Vanguard specialised in full cycle onshore drilling rig management, together with providing workforce solutions to clients throughout the global energy industry. 

Marc Bruner

Strategic Investment Advisor - Upland Resources

Marc is an experienced oil and gas entrepreneur with over five decades of international industry experience. He has founded and led several successful energy companies, including Pennaco Energy, Falcon Oil & Gas and Paltar Petroleum, and previously served as Chairman of NYSE-listed Ultra Petroleum.

His career includes the development of the 49 Tcf Pinedale-Jonah Fields and the discovery of the estimated 500 Tcf Beetaloo Basin resource. He holds a degree in Geology from Tulane University.

Dr. Alit Ascaria

Technical Advisor Geology

Dr. Alit is an exploration geoscientist with more than 30 years of experience across the international energy sector. His career includes senior technical experience with BP, Conoco, Pertamina, Premier Oil, Talisman Energy and Repsol, working across Indonesia, Vietnam, Canada and the United Kingdom.

He is currently a member of Team 9 ESDM and SKK Migas, bringing extensive expertise in petroleum exploration, subsurface evaluation and regional geoscience.

Dr. Ascaria holds a Ph.D. from University College London (UCL), completed in 1997 with research focused on carbonate diagenesis in active fault zones in South Sulawesi. He also holds an M.Sc. in Petroleum Geoscience from Imperial College London.

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.

Farid Wahid

COO, Upland Big Oil SDN BHD

Farid has over 19 years of upstream oil and gas experience spanning facilities engineering, drilling engineering, and project execution across Southeast Asia, Central Asia, and Africa. He began his career with PETRONAS Carigali as a Front-End Engineer before transitioning into drilling engineering roles, leading the planning and execution of exploration, appraisal, and development wells in onshore and offshore environments.

Filipa Marinic

Head of Marketing

Filipa holds an MA in Journalism and Public Relations from the University of Zagreb and has over 11 years of experience in marketing. For the past eight years, she has worked with London Stock Exchange-listed companies, primarily in the natural resources sector. She develops corporate communications materials, supports investor and public relations, designs and develops websites, manages social media and coordinates corporate events.