Aker Energy revealed Tuesday that its board of directors has named Svein Jakob Liknes as acting chief executive officer following the decision by Jan Arve Haugan to resign.

Liknes’ appointment to acting CEO is effective immediately and will remain in effect “until further notice”, Aker Energy revealed. Liknes was previously Aker Energy’s head of operations. Prior to joining Aker Energy, Liknes held the position of SVP Operations & Asset Development in Aker BP.

Haugan joined Aker Energy in March 2018, after heading Kvaerner ASA since 2011. Haugan previously served in a “number of leading roles” in Norsk Hydro from 1991 to 2011, Aker Energy’s website reveals.

“Aker Energy continues the effort to optimize and safeguard the Pecan project in close collaboration with Ghanaian authorities. As Aker Energy is preparing for the next phase with PDO approval followed by project execution as the main tasks, Jan Arve Haugan is stepping down and Svein Jakob Liknes has been named acting CEO,” Oyvind Eriksen, president and chief executive officer at Aker ASA, said in a company statement.

“Svein Jakob Liknes has extensive experience both from projects and operations and he has worked closely on the Pecan PDO process, making him the right fit to lead Aker Energy,” he added.

“I want to thank Jan Arve Haugan for his leadership and relentless work in building a complete exploration and field development organization in Aker Energy. At the same time, we appreciate the opportunity to maintain our strong and long-lasting collaboration with Jan Arve Haugan in his capacity as board member in Kværner as well as in existing and new projects,” Eriksen continued.

Aker Energy was founded in February 2018 as the newest member of the Aker Group. The exploration and production company aims to become the offshore oil and gas operator of choice in Ghana, according to its website.

The offshore Ghana Pecan field was discovered by Hess in 2012. Aker Energy plans to further appraise the field to improve the reservoir understanding, its website states.

To contact the author, email andreas.exarheas@rigzone.com