Led by Experience. Driven by Results.
OFFICERS
Chief Executive Officer
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
CURTIS COHEN
He began his career as a Geoscientist with Esso Exploration (Exxon), spending 15 years across Europe-Africa and the Far East in increasingly senior technical roles.
As Chief Geophysicist for Pogo Producing Thailand (now Freeport-McMoRan), he led programs that quadrupled company market value to $3 billion, delivering discoveries totaling 500 million STB, more than 500 wells, and 36 offshore platforms.
Curtis has held several senior commercial and technical leadership positions, including:
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Global Business Development Manager, Terralliance; and Argentina Exploration Manager, overseeing unconventional development in the Vaca Muerta shale, culminating in a private transaction with ExxonMobil.
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Managing Director, Brittania-U Nigeria, where he doubled proven reserves and advanced new production.
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COO, Upstream Division, Sahara Group, where he again doubled proven reserves and production in onshore Nigeria, securing major wins in the Total offshore block auction and the Shell onshore block auction.
Curtis also serves as a Faculty Fellow at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, contributing to industry-academic collaboration in geoscience and energy innovation.
Vice President, Country Manager
Vice President, Country Manager
David Teh
He has held technical and leadership roles with Exxon/Esso Production Malaysia, Esso Resources Canada, Petro-Canada, Talisman Energy, GNPOC (Sudan), FCP (Algeria), and Caracal/Griffiths Energy (Chad). During his tenure at Caracal, David played a key role in developing and delivering the Caracal pipeline in Chad, a landmark infrastructure project that significantly advanced regional production capacity.
David holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical) from the Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada, and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Manchester Business School, University of Manchester, UK.
Chief Financial Officer
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
Jeff Ratcliffe
Jeff has served as Chief Financial Officer for multiple Canadian energy companies, supporting operations across the United States, Africa, and other international markets. His expertise spans capital structuring, financial reporting, regulatory compliance, and supporting large-scale exploration and development initiatives.
He holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of Victoria.
Corporate Secretary
CORPORATE SECRETARY
DAVE BURSTALL
He is a Partner at DS Avocats in the Calgary office, where his practice encompasses the full spectrum of securities-related matters from both issuer and underwriter perspectives. Dale has extensive experience advising on initial public offerings, secondary financings, mergers and acquisitions, and all interactions with regulatory bodies including stock exchanges and securities commissions. His counsel is also widely sought in matters of corporate governance.
Dale received his Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Calgary in 1982 and his Bachelor of Laws from the University of British Columbia in 1985. He was admitted to the Alberta Bar in 1986, joined the firm in 1987 as an associate, and became a partner in 1994.
DIRECTORS
Director
DIRECTOR
RON ROYAL
Ron Royal brings 45 years of international oil and gas experience, including an extensive career with Imperial Oil Ltd. and ExxonMobil’s global upstream affiliates. Since 2007, he has served as an independent businessman and corporate director, advising and governing companies across the international energy sector.
From 2011 to 2014, Ron served on the Board of Directors of Caracal Energy Inc., and he has also been a Board Member of Gran Tierra Energy, in addition to holding roles on several private oil and gas company boards prior to 2010.
Before his retirement from ExxonMobil, Ron was President and Production Manager of Esso Exploration and Production Chad Inc., residing in N’Djamena from 2002 to 2007. In recognition of his significant contributions to Chad’s economic development, he was awarded the national honor “Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Chad” in 2003.
Ron holds a Bachelor of Applied Science from the University of British Columbia (1972) and completed the Executive Development Program at Cornell University in 1986. He has been a long-standing member of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta since 1972.
P.Eng., MBA– Director
P. ENG., MBA - DIRECTOR
SIMON AKIT
Simon Akit brings 30 years of combined experience in oil and gas operations and financial services, spanning engineering, capital markets, and international corporate leadership.
He began his career as a Drilling, Completions, and Production Engineer at Encana Corporation, gaining deep technical expertise across upstream operations. Transitioning into the financial sector, Simon held senior capital markets roles including Head of Institutional Sales and Trading at Ventum Financial and Global Head of Energy Sales at Canaccord Genuity. He also served as a member of the BMO Capital Markets Global Resource Team based in New York City, advising major institutional investors on global energy markets.
Simon has extensive board experience, including serving as a Director of Stamper Oil and Gas (Namibia) and previously as a director for several Canadian-listed energy companies.
He holds a Bachelor of Engineering from McGill University, an MBA from the Rotman School of Management, and is a Professional Engineer (APEGA) in Alberta.
Director
CO CHAIRMAN
ELIAS PUNGONG
Elias Pungong is a highly respected advisor to the African oil and gas industry, bringing decades of strategic, financial, and advisory experience. He spent over 15 years as Senior Partner and Africa Oil & Gas Leader at Ernst & Young, where he oversaw assurance, transaction, and advisory services across 19 Sub-Saharan African nations. Prior to that, he held senior leadership roles at PricewaterhouseCoopers, leading its Francophone Africa business and advising multinational clients on corporate expansion, energy investment, and infrastructure development.
Elias holds an MA in Mathematical Statistics from the University of Oxford, is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales, and has completed executive programs at Harvard Kennedy School and Yale School of Management. He is widely recognized for his leadership in advancing Africa’s energy transition and for his role in shaping sustainable investment frameworks across emerging markets. His global network and deep understanding of both private and public-sector dynamics make him an invaluable strategic leader within Tytan African Resources.
