Management Team

Ado is the Chief Executive Officer of Heritage Oil Limited as well as its Nigerian subsidiary, Heritage Energy Operational Services Limited (HEOSL); operator of the OML 30 Joint Venture between NNPC Exploration and Production Limited (NNPC E&P Ltd) and Shoreline Natural Resources Limited (SNRL).

Prior to joining Heritage Ado was Senior Vice President Sub Saharan Africa at Baker Hughes. He is a senior international business-minded executive with global leadership experience. He possesses a proven ability to effectively manage international and cross-functional teams while inspiring positive outcomes for internal and external stakeholders, in dynamic and complex environments. Ado operates with a unique results oriented leadership style and is people and safety focused.

Ado has lived and worked across multiple countries in Europe, Africa, Latin America, Middle East, Asia Pacific, and Russia & the Caspian.

He holds a Masters of Engineering degree in Petroleum Engineering from Imperial College London, a Diploma in Real-Time Oilfield Project Management from Heriot-Watt University Scotland, and several leadership and management development programs.

With over 27 years industry experience, Ado has worked and held positions of increasing responsibilities in various world class organizations including General Electric where he served as President Sub-Saharan Africa and Schlumberger Oilfield Services where he served as Vice-President & Group Managing Director, West Africa.

When not working, Ado channels his energy into programmes for development in Africa through education and works with several children’s charities and NGOs in furtherance of this cause.

Arnaud Mallet de Chauny joined Heritage Oil in 2023 and has over 30 years of finance experience, the majority of which has been in the Oil & Gas sector.

Prior to joining Heritage, Arnaud was the Regional Chief Finance Officer (CFO) at Puma Energy International. Arnaud has worked internationally in regions such as Europe, Africa, Middle East and North America.

Arno speaks five languages and holds a diploma in Commercial, Administrative and Financial Studies from the Kedge Business School.

Philip Laing has worked as a lawyer in the international oil and gas business for over 20 years and joined Heritage Oil in 2020. Prior to joining Heritage, he was General Counsel and Company Secretary of Ophir Energy plc, a premium London listed oil and gas company. He had previously spent his entire career at BG Group plc, living and working in South East Asia, Nigeria, India and Kazakhstan, with his final position being based at the head office in the UK, as Chief Counsel for Africa and Asia.

Philip is an English qualified solicitor and holds an MA from Trinity College, Cambridge University.

Mr Walters started at Heritage Oil in May 2018 and has a long background in oil and gas with over 40 years in the industry. He spent 37 years at Shell, joining as a mature hire from J.R. McDermott and prior experience with CB&I. With experience as a Process Engineer, he has a long association with managing and leading engineering, project development and execution projects.

Mr Walters has a deep experience of opportunity maturation and realisation, including as HSE Manager in one of Shell’s largest operating units, the Brunei Shell Companies. His experience ranges from offshore to onshore operations, in both upstream and onshore LNG and FLNG projects, having worked extensively across the Shell world from the UK North Sea to New Zealand. His final position with Shell was VP, responsible for all worldwide Shale and LNG projects, including the Permian in Texas, the Vacu Merta in Argentina to Ordos in China, and similarly LNG from Australia, East Africa and Western Canada.

Prior to this position, Mr Walters spent over eight years on the Pearl GTL project covering a range of duties culminating as Project Director for Phase 2. He received extensive experience of JV operations – Shell operated and non-operated – and was a member of various Executive Committees, Decision Review Boards and Investment Boards and committees. He was a member of the Asset development and execution leadership teams for LNG and Shales, including managing a budget of $3-5bn per annum, hundreds of line staff and experience of holding major contracts.

Mr Walters graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemical Engineering from Imperial College, London. In 1976 he qualified as a Chartered Engineer MICHEME. He is married with three children.

Nick has worked in various locations across the world in an international career of more than 35 years.

He graduated from the University of Leeds in 1980 with a BSC (Hons) in Metallurgy and soon joined Total in Aberdeen. He started with Handover Engineer for the North Alwyn Project, at the time the largest O&G investment in the North Sea.

Later, Nick held the position of Marine Operations Manager, culminating in being Sub-Sea Asset Manager prior to his first posting overseas to the Sincor EHO development in Venezuela as the Upstream project Engineering Manager. Nick spent time at the Total head office in Paris and was the FPSO Topsides Manager for the AKPO (Nigeria) Project, a 220K BOPD development involving a purpose-built FPSO.

Nick then moved to the Persian Gulf and became DVP Projects seconded into the Qatar-based Dolphin Energy intra-country gas project, involving platforms, pipeline and a gas process plant rated at 2.2 BCF/D.

His final posting within the Total group was in Abu Dhabi, seconded into ADNOC to develop enhanced processes targeted at improving project delivery. Nick joined Heritage Oil in 2019.

Nick is a keen golfer, family man and traveller.