Directors

The board and management conduct the Company's business with a strong commitment to sound corporate governance and a high degree of respect for all stakeholders, safety and the environment.

Jeff Schneider - Executive Chairman Mr Schneider joined the Comet Ridge Board and was elected Chairman on 28 August 2003. He was appointed Executive Chairman on 14 November 2008. He has over 30 years of experience in the oil and gas industry including 23 years with Woodside Petroleum Limited. Mr Schneider’s roles at Woodside included General Manager Commercial, accountable for business and strategic planning, mergers and acquisitions, as well as business performance of Woodside’s North West Shelf investment. In this position he was also responsible for marketing of all of the company’s products including natural gas, LNG, condensate and oil. Other roles within Woodside included Director Australian Gas where he was responsible for the commercialisation of reserves in the Otway Basin, Timor Sea and Browse Basin. Mr Schneider resigned from Woodside in 2002 to pursue other business interests. He is also Chairman of Strike Oil. Qualifications: Bachelor of Commerce
Andy Lydyard - Non-Executive Director Mr Lydyard was appointed as a non-executive director effective 1 September, 2008. Mr. Lydyard is currently President and CEO of Comet Ridge Resources, LLC based in Denver, Colorado. Mr Lydyard joined Comet Ridge on 1 October 2003 and was instrumental in the company listing on the ASX in April 2004. He has 27 years’ technical and managerial experience in the global oil and gas industry. He has extensive experience in the development and production of coal seam gas (CSG) operations, particularly in the San Juan and Powder River basins, in the USA. He was instrumental in building a substantial CSG business for J M Huber Corporation. In 2001 he joined Strike Oil Limited to build the company’s CSG business, before moving to Comet Ridge in 2003. In recognition of the Company’s increasing emphasis on the United States, he relocated to Denver, Colorado in December 2005. Qualifications: Bachelor of Applied Science (Applied Geology)
Gillian Swaby - Non-Executive Director and Company Secretary Ms Swaby was appointed Company Secretary on 28 August 2003 and a Director on 9 January 2004. She has over 26 years’ experience in the Australian resources industry. She specialises in the areas of corporate secretarial practice, corporate law, accounting, financial management, and control. Ms Swaby is the principal of a corporate consulting company and past Chair of the Western Australia Council of Chartered Secretaries of Australia and a former Director on their National Board. Qualifications: Bachelor of Business in Accounting, Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Secretaries.
Gary Drobnack - Non-Executive Director Mr Drobnack resides in Seattle, Washington in the United States. Joining Comet Ridge in October 2006, he recently retired from a senior executive role with Weyerhaeuser Company after a long and successful career with the large international forest products company. He has extensive US and international experience including a number of years in Australia. Mr Drobnack brings to the board of Comet Ridge over 35 years of management and commercial experience and valued insights into the operational aspects of the timberlands business. This is of particular importance to Comet Ridge due to its extensive lease and option positions (over 550,000 acres) covering forest lands owned by a number of forest products companies in the Pacific Northwest.
Gary Mabie - Vice President of Operations Mr. Mabie joined Comet Ridge USA, Inc as its Vice President, Operations in August; 2006. Gary has extensive onshore and offshore operational and exploitation experience in domestic and international arenas. Gary began his career as an offshore Petroleum Engineer with Gulf Oil Corporation in Buras, Louisiana. In 1968 his career was interrupted with three years service as an officer in the United States Army, Corps of Engineers. He joined Tenneco Oil Company in 1972 and advanced to Chief Production Engineer with a final assignment as International Production Manager. After Tenneco was sold in 1989, he joined Hunt Petroleum Corporation in Dallas as their Vice President of Exploration and Production. In this position Gary managed Hunt’s onshore, offshore and international properties. In 1997, Mr. Mabie was recruited to Pennzoil E&P Company and served as Senior Vice president and General Manager of their Onshore Business Unit until the company was sold in 1999. From 2000 to 2005 Mr. Mabie participated in forming SunCoast Energy Corporation. As Partner/President and Chief Operating Officer of the newly organized corporation, he and his two partners participated in drilling ventures and evaluated numerous acquisition candidates. In 2005 under his consulting firm, GM Oil & Gas Company, Mr. Mabie served directly to the Chairman of CDX Gas, LLC. Mr. Mabie was contracted to advise the Chairman on operational and management matters in the Appalachian and Canadian companies. In 2005 Gary was asked to join CDX as their President of CDX West, LLC. Shortly after the untimely death of CDX’s chairman the company was sold and reorganized. Gary has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Petroleum Engineering from Texas A&M University. He and his wife Janelle have a grown son and daughter. Gary and Janelle enjoy golf, traveling and most outdoor activities offered in Colorado.
Michael Cuba - Vice President of Land and Business Development Michael holds the degree of Bachelor of Science in Business with an emphasis on Mineral Land Management and Finance. He graduated at the top of his class with a 4.0 grade point average. Michael has been employed in the oil and gas business since 1979 including time with a major company and mid-size independents working in the USA and internationally. He has held a number of management, land and commercial roles with a strong and varied emphasis on multi-discipline positions developing a thorough understanding of all aspects of the industry. Prior to joining Comet Ridge Michael held the job of Denver District Manager for Stone Energy Corporation for a period of 2½ years. During that tenure, the staff grew from 12-32, reserves increased by 150% and production by 96% while operating costs per mcfe were reduced from $1.12 down to $0.46. He managed an annual budget in excess of $100 Million. Michael holds the position of Vice President of Land and Corporate Development.
Pat Jackson - Vice President of Exploration Pat Jackson comes to Comet Ridge USA with over 27 years of oil and gas experience as a geologist, manager and businessman. After receiving degrees in Geology from University of Montana and Oregon State University, Pat held a variety of geological and managerial positions with Amoco. As a geologist, he was a principle player in the initiation and development of Amoco's Raton Basin CBM and Arkoma Thrustbelt efforts. As a Manager, he led a variety of different Exploration groups with responsibilities that covered most of the Onshore US. During the last few years of his time with Amoco, he was part of a small leadership team that analyzed the geotechnical risks and reserves for all of Amoco's worldwide exploration prospects. Although most of his experience has been in the US, he has worked plays and prospect in the following countries: USA, Canada, UK, Norway, Belgium, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Algeria, Egypt, Nigeria, Angola, Trinidad, Columbia, Venezuela, Brazil, & Bolivia. Upon leaving Amoco/BP, Pat joined Basin Exploration in Denver and assisted in the sale of that company to Stone Energy in Lafayette, LA. During his two year tenure at Stone, he managed the Denver office where his team captured drilling deals in Pinedale and Jonah. During that time Stone's Denver District doubled production while at the same time reduced the number of wells in half. For the last two years, prior to joining Comet Ridge this summer, Pat started and has been building his own consulting/prospect generating business. Throughout his career Pat has been successful at opening new exploration plays and opportunities. He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in oil and gas exploration.
Jim Knox - Controller Jim has extensive oil and gas accounting and financial management experience built up over his 18 year career. Prior to joining Comet Ridge, Jim was at Forest Oil Corporation, one of the top ten independent oil and gas companies in the United States. At Forest Oil, Jim worked in a number of capacities, most recently as the assistant controller for the Gulf Coast Offshore and Southern USA Business Units. Jim also spent eight years in the financial reporting group, ultimately becoming the financial reporting manager, whose primary responsibility was filing financial statements with the Security and Exchange Commission as well as supporting senior management with debt and equity offerings. Jim also has experience in the downstream segment of the energy business, working on gas processing and oil pipeline projects, as well as independent power generation projects.