António Vieira
António has over 40 years of experience in oil and gas, most of that managing international assets either as a consultant or as company staff. During most of his career he was with major, independents, and national oil companies.
In Angola, António was the resident manager for Cobalt International Energy and an advisor to Orion Energy on their projects. For Cobalt, António managed company assets which included the operatorship of three deepwater blocks. In this position he assisted the company in drilling nine exploration wells, the negotiations for initial development of a major discovery, and overall management of operations in Angola.
He also advised Orion Energy on their proposed acquisition of rights to non-associated gas development to supply the Angola LNG plant. He was selected as Orion Project Manager with responsibilities to oversee the company operations in country.
Prior to that, António managed Ophir Energy assets in Equatorial Guinea and Senegal, as well as all ROC Oil assets in West Africa, including Cabinda.
António resides in Luanda, Angola and Sydney, Australia.
Ken Ruddy
Ken has over 40 years of experience in oil and gas, most of that on deepwater projects. As a consultant for most of his career, he has had multiple clients including major, independent, and national oil companies. In Angola, Ken advised both Cobalt International Energy and Orion Energy on their projects. For Cobalt, Ken was part of a team that negotiated a multi-year contract for a deepwater semi for their projects in Blocks 20 and 21. He was instrumental in developing the acceptance testing protocol for the new build rig. Once the rig was operational, he was involved with multiple discoveries including Bicuar, Cameia, Orca, Lontra, and Mavinga. He was selected as Cobalt's Development Drilling and Completions Manager for Angola, planning the Cameia and Orca multi-well development projects.
He also advised Orion Energy on their proposed NAG gas development (non-associated gas) in Block 2 to supply gas to the Angola LNG plant. He was selected as Orion's VP of Operations for the company, responsible for all operational aspects of the project including strategic planning, well construction, equipment design, contracting strategy, and financial controls.
He also served as an Executive Director of PTS Multi-hull Solutions where he developed and patented the multi-hull FPSO concept for floating production. In 2024 he and his team were awarded the Hart Energy Special Meritorious Engineering Award for the multi-hull concept.
Ken resides in Houston, Texas and is currently advising Vaalco Energy on their projects in West Africa. For Vaalco, Ken was selected as their consulting Completions Manager.