Management

Paul Colborne has over 24 years of experience in the oil and gas industry and has been involved in a leadership, executive or director capacity with over 30 oil and gas and energy services companies.

Mr. Colborne has successfully grown and, subsequently transitioned, a number of aggressive Canadian junior oil and gas companies into sustainable, modest growth dividend paying companies with excellent results, including: Startech Energy Inc., Crescent Point Energy Trust, and Star Point Energy Trust. At each of these companies, Mr. Colborne contributed to significant shareholder value being created.

Jared Ducs is a Chartered Accountant with more than 17 years of accounting and finance experience in the oil and gas industry.  Mr. Ducs is a founding member of Surge, having held several progressively senior positions with the Company.

Prior to his appointment as Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Ducs held the position of Vice President Finance.  Prior to joining Surge, Mr. Ducs was a Senior Associate with Ernst & Young LLP.

Mr. Ducs continues to be an active member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Alberta (ICAA) and Chartered Professional Accountants of Alberta (CPA Alberta).

Murray Bye is a Professional Engineer with more than 24 years of engineering experience including development, production, and reservoir management in Western Canada. Mr. Bye has been on the Executive Team since 2013 and prior to that role he was the Asset Team Lead when the company started in early 2010.

Prior to his role at Surge, Mr. Bye held several positions at EnCana Corporation between the years 2000 to 2010 including: Group Lead of Development, Exploitation Engineer, and Production Engineer.

Mr. Bye graduated in 2000 from Montana Tech with a Petroleum Engineering degree. He continues to be an active member of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Saskatchewan (APEGS) and the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA).

Derek Christie is a Senior Energy Executive and Professional Geologist with over 28 years of wide-ranging experience across North American Basins in both Conventional and Unconventional Reservoir Exploration and Development. Mr. Christie joined Surge Energy in 2019.

He has worked in the oil and gas industry since 1991, having held a variety of technical and management positions with companies including Crescent Point Energy, Shelter Bay Energy, Mission Oil and Gas, StarPoint Energy, Vintage Petroleum Canada and Rio Alto Exploration.

Most recently, he was the Senior Vice President of Exploration & Corporate Development at Crescent Point Energy and was employed with the company for over 12 years.  During this period, he held various Senior Management positions in Exploration, Geosciences and Corporate Development.  During his tenure with Crescent Point Energy, the company grew from 35,000 boepd to over 175,000 boepd, both through organically generated opportunities and complemented with numerous strategic acquisitions.

Derek is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Highrock Resources and previously at Boulder Energy.

He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Geology from the University of Calgary and is a member of both the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta and the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Saskatchewan and a Graduate of the Institute of Corporate Directors.

Margaret Elekes has 25 years of experience in the oil and gas industry focusing on negotiations, acquisitions and divestitures in both Canada and the United States. Prior to being a founding member of Surge, Ms. Elekes held key roles with Breaker Energy Ltd and Upton Resources Inc.

Ms. Elekes graduated in 1987 from the University of Saskatchewan with a Bachelor of Commerce degree, obtained a major in Petroleum Land Management from the University of Calgary in 1991 and holds a P. Land Designation. She served on the board and continues to be an active member of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Landmen.

Dan Kelly is a Chartered Professional Accountant with more than 12 years of accounting and finance experience in the oil and gas industry.  Mr. Kelly has held several progressively senior positions with the Company since joining as a Financial Analyst in 2014. Prior to his appointment as Vice President, Finance, Mr. Kelly held the position of Controller.

Prior to joining Surge, Mr. Kelly was a Senior Financial Analyst at Advantage Energy Ltd. and held various roles in the audit practice of Ernst & Young LLP.  Mr. Kelly continues to be an active member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Alberta (ICAA) and Chartered Professional Accountants of Alberta (CPA Alberta).

Grant Cutforth is a Professional Geologist with over 24 years of experience in the oil and gas industry with a focus in M&A and technical capacities. Mr. Cutforth has been at Surge for over 10 years and has been a part of the leadership team for the past 8 years as the Manager of Business Development.

Prior to joining Surge Mr. Cutforth held the title of Vice President at Macquarie Capital Canada and also held technical roles in exploration & development at NuVista and Baytex Energy. Grant graduated from the University of Calgary in 2000 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Geology and is an active member of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA), the Canadian Energy Geoscience Association (CEGA formerly CSPG), the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG), and the Petroleum Acquisition & Divestment Association (PADA).