HOUSTON, Feb. 25, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Pride International, Inc. (NYSE:PDE) today announced the appointment of David A. Hager to the company's board of directors, effective immediately.
Over the past 29 years, Mr. Hager has served in numerous senior management positions in the oil and gas industry, most recently as the chief operating officer for Kerr-McGee Corporation until his retirement in August 2006 following the merger of Kerr-McGee with Anadarko Petroleum Corporation.
Mr. Hager began his career in the oil and gas industry in 1979 as an exploration geophysicist with Mobil Corporation and in 1981, he joined Sun Oil Company (predecessor of Oryx Energy Company). Mr. Hager joined Kerr-McGee as vice president of Gulf of Mexico operations following the company's merger with Oryx in 1999, became vice president of international operations in April 2000 and was named vice president of worldwide deepwater exploration and production in October 2000. Mr. Hager became vice president of Gulf of Mexico and worldwide deepwater exploration and production in 2001, was named vice president of exploration and production in 2002 and became senior vice president (oil and gas exploration and production) in March 2003. He was named chief operating officer of Kerr-McGee in July 2005.
Mr. Hager currently serves as a director of Devon Energy Corporation.
In addition, the company announced that David B. Robson will retire from the Pride International board of directors effective on the date of the company's 2008 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. Mr. Robson's service dates back to May 1998, when he joined the board of directors of Marine Drilling Companies, Inc. He has served on the Pride International board since the company's merger with Marine Drilling in September 2001.
Louis A. Raspino, President and Chief Executive Officer of Pride International, Inc., stated, "On behalf of the board of directors, stockholders and employees of Pride, I would like to sincerely thank Dave for his dedicated service on the board. We wish Dave all the best in his retirement."
Pride International, Inc., headquartered in Houston, Texas, is one of the world's largest offshore drilling contractors, operating a fleet of 64 rigs, including two deepwater drillships, 12 semisubmersible rigs, 28 jackups, 10 platform rigs, five managed deepwater rigs and seven Eastern Hemisphere-based land rigs. The company also has three ultra-deepwater drillships under construction with expected deliveries in 2010 and 2011.
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