From June 2012 to June 2016 he was President and CEO of Spike Exploration AS, now part of Point Resources AS. Prior to that Mr. Tonnessen was Executive VP for the Svenska Group, a private Swedish-based exploration and production company. As well as being the Managing Director in the Norwegian subsidiary, his main responsibility was to manage all of the Group’s existing licenses, these being a mix of exploration, development and producing assets in Norway, Sweden and several countries in Africa.
He was formerly the senior energy analyst with DNB Markets from January 2003 to July 2007 and an equity analyst with Handelsbanken Capital Markets from October 2001 to November 2002. Prior thereto he was employed by the Svenska Group in a variety of progressively more senior roles including exploration and production manager for a large part of the company’s portfolio. Mr. Tonnessen has also been working as an offshore drilling engineer for several years.
Mr. Tonnessen holds a Bachelors’ degree in Petroleum Engineering from Stavanger University in Norway and an MBA equivalent degree from Stockholm University in Sweden. He became Chairman of the Board of Questerre in June 2015.
Michael Binnion
President and Chief Executive Officer
Michael Binnion is the President and CEO and founding shareholder of Questerre Energy, established in November 2000. Questerre is a public oil and gas production company with operations in Alberta, Quebec, Saskatchewan and Jordan. He has been a leader in the campaign for hydrocarbons in Quebec as Chairman of the Quebec Oil & Gas Association.
Mr. Binnion is a seasoned entrepreneur with a history of starting, financing and managing companies and not-for- profits. He has extensive experience as a board member for several high-tech companies in Canada. Additionally, he is the Executive Director of Rupert’s Crossing Ltd., a private merchant banking firm.
He is also Chairman of both High Arctic Energy Services and the Manning Foundation. Most recently he founded the Modern Miracle Network, an organization of Canadians wanting adult conversations about the benefits and impacts of energy use.
A fifth-generation Albertan born in Calgary, Mr. Binnion is not only passionate about entrepreneurship but also a community-minded individual concerned with the prospects for future generations of Canadians. He is the founder and chairman of the Lesley Binnion Foundation for Disabled Sports, helping hundreds of kids and families make the extraordinary achievement of learning to ski a reality.
Mr. Hickok spent the first 12 years of his career with Imperial Oil and Exxon and is Chairman of Advantage Energy Services Ltd. (AESL) which he co-founded in 1991 and which has produced several private and public companies. Mr. Hickok served on Argo Energy’s board as the Reserves Chair and on the Compensation Committee and was President of a Public Exploration company named TUSK Energy where he also served on the board of directors.
Mr. Hickok obtained an Engineering Technology Diploma from Red River College in Winnipeg and then a Bachelor of Engineering Degree from Lakehead University in Ontario.
Mr. Sans Cartier started his career with the federal government as a special assistant to the Minister of Labour. He is currently Vice President, Public Affairs and Strategic Partnerships for the Québec Port Authority.
He also has extensive experience in the private sector where he has been a consultant in strategic communication with decision makers for many years. Mr. Sans Cartier holds a Bachelor’s in Political Science from the University of Montreal.
He currently works in the Business Development division of AF Gruppen, a Norwegian contracting and industrial group. Prior thereto, he was a director of Seatankers Group, a private investment company with a broad portfolio within the energy and maritime sector from January to November 2017. From 2004 to 2016, Mr. Holden was employed by Pareto Securities AS, a Norwegian-based brokerage firm and from 2000 to 2004 he was employed by DnB Markets, the investment banking group of Norway’s largest bank. Prior thereto, he was employed as section manager in the reservoir department of Saga Petroleum ASA, a public Norwegian oil company.
Mr. Holden holds a Master of Science in Industrial Economics from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.
From 2007 to 2014, served as an executive of High Arctic Energy Services Inc., a public oilfield service company, including Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Chief Executive Officer. Prior to joining High Arctic, for 10 years he served as President of International Operations for a Canadian based drilling contractor. Prior to that, he spent 15 years as a lawyer and Chartered Accountant with Felesky Flynn and Ernst & Young in Calgary, specializing in tax planning to the oil industry.
Dennis is a member of both the Law Society of Alberta and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Alberta.
