The Board of Venture Production says that Jon Murphy, Chief Operating Officer (COO), has given notice of his resignation in order to develop his career outside the Group. It is planned that Jon will step down from the Board at the Annual General Meeting in May and will remain in employment with the Company until the end of the year. The Board is also very pleased to announce that, in a planned succession move, Jonathan Roger, currently General Manager Producing Assets, will replace Jon as COO and be appointed to the Board of Venture Production plc.

Mike Wagstaff, Chief Executive of Venture, said, "I have had the pleasure of working extremely closely with Jon for the last 10 years. Since he joined Venture in March 1999, Jon has been a very important part of the Venture team that has built the Company from a virtual start-up operating onshore in Trinidad to one of the largest and most successful independent E&P companies in the North Sea. On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank Jon for his huge contribution to our success over the last 10 years and wish him good luck in the future.

I am also delighted to be able to announce Jonathan's appointment as COO. Jonathan has 17 years experience in the oil and gas industry and a broad commercial and technical background. Having joined Venture in 2003 he led the Company's southern North Sea gas business, including expansion into the Dutch sector, following the acquisition of CH4. In late 2007, Jonathan's role was expanded to cover all of Venture's producing business units in the North Sea. He is already a member of our senior leadership team and I am looking forward to working with him in his new role."

Tags: Venture Production plc