Robert L. Nance, 71, senior vice president of St. Mary Land & Exploration Co. and CEO of subsidiary Nance Petroleum Corp., will retire in early 2008. In 1969 he founded Robert L. Nance and Associates in Billings, MT, the predecessor of Nance Petroleum. His company and St. Mary formed a partnership in 1991 to explore the Williston Basin, and eight years later Nance Petroleum became a St. Mary subsidiary. Nance was honored with the Wildcatter Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999 by the Independent Petroleum Association of Mountain States, the Chief Roughneck Award in 2002 by the Independent Petroleum Association of America and membership in the Rocky Mountain Oil and Gas Hall of Fame in 2004. Mark D. Mueller, vice president and general manager of Calgary-based Samson Exploration Ltd., will succeed Nance as regional manager of the Rocky Mountain region effective Nov. 5.

BP plc‘s former chief John Browne has been appointed managing director of the new European branch of U.S. private equity energy’s Riverstone Holdings LLC. “This is an opportunity for me to return to the energy industry full-time, which will enable me to best apply my lifelong skills and experience,” Browne said in a statement. Browne, who resigned in May, led the London-based major through the 1990s and shepherded the acquisition of Amoco and Arco. Riverstone owns and invests in midstream, upstream, power, oilfield services and renewable sectors of the energy industry. It has put more than $6 billion into more than 40 investments that range from $10 million to $1 billion. Its funds are all joint ventures with Carlyle Group.

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