Penn America Energy Announces Appointment of Three Additional Senior Executives

NEW YORK, Nov. 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Penn America Energy has announced the appointment of three seasoned executives to their growing world class leadership team. Richard Chandler has joined the company as Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Craig Webster as Executive Vice President Capital Markets and Chief Sustainability Officer, and Julius Leitner as Senior Vice President of Gas Supply and Business Development. 

Franc James, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Penn America Energy, praised each executive addition to the growing energy company stating, "Julius, Craig and Rich provide extraordinary leadership experience working with cornerstone U.S. and international energy companies and will contribute significantly to our focus on bringing the world's cleanest, most environmentally responsible natural gas to market." 

"Encompassing executive roles specific to environmental and social governance, legal, investment banking capital markets, and the commercial upstream and midstream, the expertise brought to Penn America Energy by this talented and respected trio will provide incredible value to our company and cross-functional leadership team, and ensure we remain consistent to the company vision and values, while successfully executing our project plan through to FID," James added. 

Richard E. Chandler, Jr. (Rich) is a highly experienced and sophisticated corporate attorney who has practiced law for more than 40 years and served as a senior executive and General Counsel for several multibillion corporations, including three publicly listed companies (NYSE and NASDAQ), along with serving as a partner to a major international law firm in Houston.

Rich recently served as Executive Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary to Sterling Construction Company, Inc., a heavy civil infrastructure contractor. From 2011 until 2017, Rich was the Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer for Chicago Bridge Iron, N.V. In this position, he had worldwide responsibility for all CB&I legal, compliance, litigation, and risk management functions. Immediately prior to joining CB&I, Rich was a partner at Jones Day (Houston) and previously served as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Smith International, Inc.

Rich has extensive experience in mergers and acquisitions, complex litigation/arbitration, corporate governance, and international business transactions, including defense of a $2 billion arbitration claim relating to the expansion of a refinery in South America. He also led the legal team in negotiations of CB&I's disposition of its nuclear construction business to Westinghouse, its $3.2 billion acquisition of The Shaw Group Inc., and while at Smith, the $12.2 billion merger into Schlumberger Limited in 2010 and a $3.3 billion tender offer for W-H Energy Services in 2008.

Rich holds a Juris Doctor degree from Loyola University School of Law in New Orleans and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology/Archaeology from the University of Cincinnati. He is admitted to the State Bar of Ohio (1981) and State Bar of Texas (1982), and is AV rated by Martindale Hubbell. In 2014 and 2015, Rich was also selected as a finalist for Best General Counsel of Greater Houston as determined by the Houston Business Journal.

Craig Webster has more than two decades of capital markets and sustainability experience across a variety of roles with leading investment banks. Most recently he launched the ESG advisory practice at Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co., where he provided clients with expertise in addressing ESG risks and opportunities. Prior to that, he held senior roles within TPH's Securities division as well as at CIBC World Markets. In these capacities and others, he has participated extensively in both public and non-public capital raising and developed a strong network of relationships, both within the energy industry as well as with capital providers. 

Julius Leitner is an accomplished and respected energy executive with wide-ranging experience in marketing natural gas, business development, end-user sales, and financial hedging, most recently serving as the Vice President of Marketing for the Cabot Oil and Gas Corporation. In this role, Julius expanded local sales of natural gas by leading customer engagement resulting in six new facilities in Northeast Pennsylvania. Julius holds a Master of Business Administration (Executive Program) from the Mays Business School at Texas A&M University and a Bachelor of Science from Boston College. 

ABOUT PENN AMERICAN ENERGY: Penn American Energy is developing the most sustainable and cost-effective liquified natural gas export terminal in the world along the Delaware River in Pennsylvania. The terminal, designed and engineered by Bechtel, is a nearly 100% carbon free terminal and will ship the cleanest most environmentally responsibly sourced natural gas from the northeast of the United States.

Contact:
Pat Outtrim
[email protected]

SOURCE Penn America Energy