Ukrgasvydobuvannya, a part of the Naftogaz Group, has approved Andriy Okhotnikov the Director of Shebelynkagasvydobuvannya Gas Production Devision. Serhiy Kryvulia will become his First Deputy.
Yuriy Leonidovych Fesenko, who previously chaired Shebelynkagasvydobuvannya, has made a decision to leave the Director position at his request. He will join the Expert Council established by the Naftogaz Exploration and Production Division last year and including the most reputable experts in the oil and gas industry of Ukraine.
"Yuriy Leonidovych devoted 46 years to our Company, 35 of them to Shebelynka. His contribution cannot be outlined in a few words. He is a professional with a large "P", who has hundreds of billions of cubic meters of Ukrainian gas produced under his belt. Yuriy Leonidovych chaired unique projects that became crucial for the entire industry, including million-plus wells, the construction of heavy-duty oil and gas plants, and booster compressor stations. For the unique not only for Ukraine but for the entire post-Soviet space, installation of the catalytic reforming unit he was recognized as an Honoured Worker of the Ukrainian industry. The Division team ensured uninterrupted production even in the most difficult times, no matter what "storms" came. The management of Naftogaz and me personally, as well as the entire team, are sincerely grateful to Yuriy Leonidovych for this extraordinary experience and for the fact that he will continue to help the Company develop in his new status," Oleksandr Romanyuk said.
"For me, Shebelynkagasvydobuvannya has become a significant part of my professional career as well as of my life. I am grateful to the great team that has been during all these years implementing with me the major production projects, which made Shebelynka a key production asset in Ukraine. But I am sure that GPD still has many achievements ahead. After all, it is managed by experts, who support the Company and industry and are results-oriented. I wish them and the entire team further success, and I will be happy to advise Ukrgasvydobuvannya as a member of the Expert Council," Yuriy Fesenko said.
Andriy Okhotnikov before taking the new office worked as the First Deputy Director of another Gas Production Department – Poltavagasvydobuvannya, where he performed operational management of production activities. Under his leadership, an effective project management office for well operations was established, and the functions of surface infrastructure development and capital construction were reengineered.
Before that, Andriy Okhotnikov was responsible for the regional development of Ukrgasvydobuvannya, in particular, cooperation with stakeholders in production projects, interaction with local communities and authorities, land issues, and sustainable development projects. He worked in the economic and financial direction in PricewaterhouseCoopers, SCM, and MHP divisions. He has three degrees, including a Master's in oil and gas production from the Ivano-Frankivsk National Technical University of Oil And Gas. He received an MBA from the Kyiv School of Economics and is a full Certified Member of the Project Management Institute (USA).
Serhiy Kryvulia has about 30 years of experience in the oil and gas industry. For the last 11 years, he chaired the Ukrainian Research Institute of Natural Gases (UkrNDIGas), which is responsible for new developments and research in Ukrgasvydobuvannya. Before that, he spent 16 years in Shebelynkagasvydobuvannya, where he worked his way up from a well studies operator to the head of the geological function.
"Andriy Okhotnikov is a manager with a strategic vision and a systematic approach, able to provide high-quality results in difficult work areas. He confirmed this in effect both at the Head Office of Ukrgasvydobuvannya and Poltavagasvydobuvannya – largely due to his participation, this Division in 2020 not only maintained but even increased production at the depleted fields. While Serhiy Kryvulia is, without exaggeration, one of the key geologic exploration experts in Ukraine. His experience and expertise will be extremely important for finding the new solutions that will offset the natural production decline at the Shebelynkagasvydobuvannya's fields and stabilize production indicators", Oleksandr Romaniuk, Director of the Naftogaz Exploration and Production Division said.