About IPS
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Board of Directors
Craig Burton (BJuris, LLB, MAICD)
Chairman
Mr Burton is an experienced and active investor in start-up projects and businesses, both public listed and private, with a focus on the resources, oil and gas, mining services and agribusiness sectors. He often takes an executive or non-executive director role to assist the early development of such companies.
Mr Burton is currently an executive director of Mirabela Nickel Ltd and a non-executive director of Wildhorse Energy Limited, Matra Petroleum plc, Exco Resources Ltd, Solimar Energy Limited, Rewards Group Limited and Capital Drilling Limited. He is a co-founder of three ASX 300 companies — Mirabela Nickel Limited, Albidon Limited and Panoramic Resources Limited. He has a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Western Australia and is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Stephen Rohde (BB, CPA)
Company Secretary
Mr Rohde has more than 22 years commercial, financial and corporate advisory experience gained with large listed companies and from one of the big four accounting firms. He provides ASIC, ASX, ATO compliance and counsel for small and large private and listed companies and is a member of Member of CPA Australia.
Dermot O’Keeffe (BSc, MSc, MBA)
Managing Director
Mr O’Keeffe is the founder and Managing Director of IPS Australasia. He has more than 20 years of technical and management experience from the upstream oil and gas industry gained with several large international operators and independents, principally in the areas of drilling engineering and drilling project management. He has a BSc (Hons) in Engineering Geology obtained at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, an MSc in Petroleum Engineering obtained at the Royal School of Mines, Imperial College London, and an MBA from the Australian Graduate School of Management. He is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and is Director of Blade Petroleum.
André DiBiagio (BSc, MSc)
Executive Director
Mr DiBiagio is the Business Development Director at IPS Australasia and Director of IPS Singapore. He has more than 18 years of technical and management experience from the upstream oil and gas industry gained with several large international operators and independents, principally in the areas of drilling engineering and drilling project management. He has a BSc (Hons) in Offshore Engineering obtained from Herriot-Watt University in Edinburg and an MSc in Petroleum Engineering obtained at the Royal School of Mines, Imperial College London. Mr DiBiagio joined IPS in 2004 to lead it overseas expansion efforts. He is a Director of Blade Petroleum and the co-founder of Oslo, Norway based IT services firm Intility AS.
Edward Rigg (B Bus, MAICD, SA Fin)
Non Executive Director
Mr Rigg is Managing Director of Argonaut Limited, a resource focused integrated investment house that offers stockbroking, corporate advisory, funds management and principal investment services. Argonaut is 20% owned by Apollo, one of the world’s largest private equity funds within excess of $40 billion under management. Mr Rigg has over 15 years experience in the execution of mergers and acquisitions and capital raisings with specialist expertise in the oil and gas and mining sectors. He has previously held senior positions with global investment bank CIBC World Markets and the Perth based stockbroker, DJ Carmichael Pty Ltd. He has a Bachelor of Business from Curtin University, is a Responsible Officer under the AFSL regime, a Responsible Executive under the ASX Business Rules and is a Member of the Institute of Company Directors.
Andrew Leibovitch (ACA)
Non Executive Director
Mr Leibovitch is a Chartered Accountant from the United Kingdom and has more than 20 years experience in corporate finance and the resources industry. He has experience in strategic planning, business development, acquisitions and mergers, gas commercialisation, project development and general management. From 1997 to 2006 he was with Woodside performing a number of roles including commercialising major gas projects. Mr Leibovitch headed Woodside’s Browse Gas Project seeking to commercialise over 20 trillion cubic feet of gas as a major LNG development. Mr Leibovitch also headed Woodside’s south eastern Australia gas business, developing gas projects in the Otway and Bass Strait basin, as well as managing interests in gas and electricity retailing in Victoria. Prior to joining Woodside, Mr Leibovitch worked for Western Mining Corporation in the Corporate Planning and Acquisitions Group and as Group Finance Manager. From 1986 to 1993 he worked as a Chartered Accountant in London before emigrating to Australia and working for Coopers & Lybrand in Perth.
Mr Leibovitch currently runs his own energy consultancy business and is a non-executive director of Transerv Australia Limited.