Iona Energy Inc. announce that Rod Begbie has joined the organization as Chief Financial Officer. Graham Heath, who has been acting as Iona's Interim Chief Financial Officer since April, will return to his duties as VP Corporate Development.

Mr. Begbie has been involved in the financing and corporate development of growing companies for over 18 years, most recently as Corporate Development Director on the board of Venture Production plc ("Venture"), a FTSE 250 North Sea focused E&P operator.

At Venture he was responsible for all aspects of M&A activity, resulting in the closing of over forty transactions, as well as being closely involved in the financing rounds that took the company from its 2002 flotation with a market capitalisation of £183 million to its mid-2009 takeover by Centrica plc at an enterprise value of £1.6 billion. Mr. Begbie's seven years at Venture saw rapid growth in both production and reserves, and he played a leading role in investor relations activity throughout Venture's life as a listed company.

Tags: Iona Energy Inc.