Led by Experience. Driven by Results.
OFFICERS
Chief Executive Officer
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
CURTIS COHEN
Curtis Cohen brings 45 years of global oil and gas leadership, spanning exploration, development, portfolio expansion, and executive operations across Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas.
He began his career as Senior Exploration Geoscientist with Esso Exploration Inc (ExxonMobil), spending 15 years in Europe-Africa and the Far East Divisions in increasingly senior technical roles.These included exploration and drilling for Esso Exploration Inc in Spain, Turkey, Somalia and Nigeria as well as in ExxonMobil producing affiliates Esso Norway, Esso Australia, Esso REP (France), and in Strategic Planning in NJ Corporate HQ of Exxon Co International.
Curtis later led Thailand offshore exploration, appraisal and development for a decade as Chief Geophysicist for Pogo Producing Co (now Freeport-McMoRan), delivering discoveries totaling 500 million STBE, from ca. 500 wells, 36 platforms, an FPSO and FSO, quadrupling Pogo’s market cap to $3 billion.
He held senior commercial and technical leadership positions, including Global Business Development Manager for pre-IPO Terralliance Technologies Inc. Later, as Exploration Manager for TTI’s Argentina affiliate, Curtis led unconventional exploration in Neuquen in the Vaca Muerta shale, culminating in a later private transaction with ExxonMobil.
As Managing Director at Brittania-U Nigeria, he doubled proven reserves and production with the first horizontal well in Ajapa marginal field. As COO of Sahara Group, Upstream, he again doubled proven reserves and production with three new onshore Nigeria oil wells in his first year, and led exploration in offshore blocks in Ghana, Ivory Coast, and deepwater Nigeria, while securing major IOC wins in Total’s deepwater block auction and Shell’s OML 18 auction.
At Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Curtis was a Faculty Fellow, and since has published 24 professional papers.
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.
General Counsel
General Counsel
Lubomir Roglev, Esq
Lubomir Roglev specializes in corporate finance and natural resources. His experience focuses on mergers and acquisitions, private equity, acquisition finance, complex securities issues, mining and mining finance, energy and infrastructure, particularly in Africa.
He advises companies, banks, governments and investment funds in France and in Sub-Saharan Africa. He also advises international groups on the implementation of their integrity and compliance programs.
Vice President, Chad
Vice President, Chad
DAVID Teh
With 40 years of international oil and gas experience, David Teh has built a distinguished career spanning exploration and production operations across multiple continents. His career encompasses senior roles at some of the world’s foremost energy companies, including EXXON/ESSO Production Malaysia, ESSO Resources Canada, PETRO-CANADA, TALISMAN Energy of Canada, GNPOC of Sudan, FCP in Algeria, and Caracal/Griffiths (CARACAL). A defining achievement of his career was leading the construction of the Caracal pipeline in Chad.
He holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical) from Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada, and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) earned in 2009 from Manchester Business School, University of Manchester, UK.
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
Director
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.
