Our Board

Mr Spence has 40 years of experience in managing and governing oil and gas operations in Australia, PNG, the Netherlands and Africa.

A geologist and geophysicist by training, Mr Spence commenced his career as an exploration geologist with Woodside in 1977. He subsequently joined Shell (Development) Australia, where he worked for 18 years. In 1994, he was seconded to Woodside to lead the North West Shelf Exploration team. In 1998, he left Shell to join Woodside. He retired from Woodside in 2008, after a 14-year tenure in top executive positions in the company. Mr Spence has expertise in exploration and appraisal, development, project construction, operations and marketing.

On retirement, Mr Spence took up several board positions, working in oil, gas and energy, including geothermal, wind, solar and power from waste, mining, engineering and construction services and renewable energy. This included Clough Limited, where he served as Chair (2010 to 2013), Geodynamics Limited, where he served as a non-executive Director (2008 to 2016) (including as Chair from 2010 to 2016), Verve Energy and Synergy (after merger with Verve), where he served as a non-executive Director (2009 to 2014), Oil Search Limited, where he served as a non-executive Director (2012 to 2017), and Murray and Roberts Holdings Limited, where he served
as a non-executive Director (2015 to 2020).

Mr Spence is also a past Chair of Base Resources Limited (2015 to 2021) and The National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority Board. He led the Commonwealth Government’s Carbon Storage Taskforce (2008 to 2010) and chaired the Carbon Capture and Storage Flagship Independent Assessment Panel (2008 to 2012).

Mr Gallagher joined Santos as Managing Director and CEO on 16 February 2016.

Santos is Australia’s second-largest independent natural gas and liquids producer with world-class natural gas, LNG and liquids assets in Australia, PNG and Alaska. Over the past decade, Mr Gallagher has transformed the Company into a high-performing, low-cost business and more than tripled its market capital through mergers and acquisitions,
and more recently, ambitious organic growth. Mr Gallagher was also the driving force behind the Company’s investment in one of the largest, most successful and lowest-cost carbon capture and storage projects in the world at Moomba in South Australia.

Mr Gallagher has implemented a disciplined low-cost operating model and capital allocation framework that has returned over US$4.5 billion to shareholders during his tenure, more than the Company’s market capital prior to his commencement in early 2016.

Following the startup of the Company’s Barossa LNG project in Australia’s Northern Territory last year, and with the imminent startup of the Pikka oil project in 2026,
Mr Gallagher has demonstrated the Company’s strong project execution capability and positioned it for sector-leading growth in earnings per share over the coming years.

Commencing his career in the oil and gas industry as a drilling engineer in Scotland working with Mobil in the North Sea, Mr Gallagher migrated to Australia to join Woodside in 1998. After leading the North West Shelf project in his last Woodside role, Mr Gallagher was CEO at Clough Limited from 2011 until his appointment at Santos. While at Clough, Mr Gallagher turned the business around and oversaw its sale for almost triple its market capitalisation when he commenced as CEO.

Mr Gallagher is committed to ensuring Santos remains resilient and delivers superior value for shareholders, while providing reliable and affordable energy to help create a better world for everyone.

Dr Guthrie has extensive experience in the resources sector in diverse roles such as operations, environment, community and Indigenous affairs, corporate development and sustainability. She has qualifications in geology, environment, law and business management, including a PhD in Geology.

Dr Guthrie was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Science from Curtin University in 2017 for her contribution to sustainability, innovation and policy leadership in the resources industry. In 2021, she became an Officer of the Order of Australia for her contribution to the mining and resources sector and as a role model for women in business.

Dr Guthrie was also a Board member of Infrastructure Australia (2021 to 2024), non-executive Director of Tronox Holding Plc (2019 to 2024) and non-executive Director of North American Construction Group Ltd (2024 to 2025).

After starting his career at Citibank in London, Mr Lydon spent 25 years at McKinsey & Company where he advised clients on strategic growth and operational opportunities and also held leadership roles, including founding McKinsey Implementation globally, Managing Partner of McKinsey Australia & New Zealand, and leading Social Responsibility across Asia Pacific. He is also an Industry Professor at UTS Business School and previously served as an Economic Commissioner for the Greater Syndey Commission, subsequently the Greater Cities Commission of the NSW Government and was a director of the Net Zero Emissions and Clean Energy Board (2023 to 2024).

Ms McArdle has extensive global energy experience in engineering and design, physical and financial energy commodities trading, risk management and mergers and acquisitions.

She is the founder and CEO of Apex Strategies, a global consultancy business providing advisory services to companies engaged in the oil and gas industry, and more recently, in the development of tools and strategies to facilitate achievement of corporate energy transition goals. Prior to Apex Strategies, Ms McArdle worked for Apache Corporation in the US for 13 years, where she held various executive roles, including President, Kitimat LNG Co., Senior Vice President of Global Gas Monetization, and Vice President, Worldwide Oil and Gas Marketing with profit and loss responsibilities. She also had operational responsibility for the sale of the company’s oil and gas production worldwide and the development and execution of its LNG strategy. Prior to Apache, Ms McArdle worked as an executive with Aquila Energy for nine years with profit and loss responsibilities across trading, mergers and acquisitions and business to business e-commerce, first in the United States and then in the UK, as Managing Director of Aquila Energy Ltd, Aquila’s European energy trading subsidiary. During this time, she was a key architect in the design and implementation of the InterContinental Exchange Trading platform (NTSE:ICE) and served on the InterContinental Exchange Board of Directors (2000 to 2002).

Ms McFadden is an experienced company Director and Chair and brings a broad range of skills and experience gained through her current and previous non-executive Director roles and her executive career spanning investment banking, corporate finance and corporate law.

Ms McFadden has particular experience in financial accounting and audit, capital management and corporate finance, risk management, remuneration, corporate governance and leadership and is an experienced Chair of Audit and Risk Committees.

Ms McFadden was formerly a non-executive Director of Tabcorp Holdings Limited (2016 to 2020), Newcrest Mining Limited (2016 to 2023), Myer Family Investments Pty Ltd (2011 to 2020) and Leighton Holdings Limited (2013 to 2014), and the non-executive Chair of eftpos Australia Pty Ltd (2016 to 2018) and Skilled Group Limited (2010 to 2015). Ms McFadden was the former President of the Australian Takeovers Panel (2013 to 2019) and Member of the Executive Council and Advisory Board of the UNSW Business School (2006 to 2019).

Mr Utsler has worked in the energy industry for more than 45 years, across multiple international areas. During his career, he has built deep knowledge and experience in the upstream, midstream and downstream areas of the energy industry. In addition, he has developed experience in power generation, alternative energy solutions and some aspects of carbon management. He has had extensive involvement in fostering technological solutions for driving efficiencies in operations.

Mr Utsler has held senior leadership and executive positions with Amoco, BP (including President of the Gulf Coast Restoration Organisation – GCRO and SVP BP Alaska Exploration), Woodside and New Fortress Energy. In September 2020, Mr Utsler joined Otto Energy as its CEO and Managing Director. He was further appointed Otto Energy’s Executive Chair (2020 to 2023).

Mr Utsler is a former non-executive Director of Integrated Asset Solutions (2017 to 2021) and Oil Search Limited (2021) and has previously served on a variety of not-for-profit boards, including the West Australian Symphony Orchestra (WASO).

Mr Werror brings over 20 years of leadership experience in the mining and resources sector in PNG.

Mr Werror commenced his long career at Ok Tedi Mining Ltd as a graduate in 1988 and previously held various roles and responsibilities, including managing health, safety and environment, mine closure planning, tax credit scheme projects, government affairs and leading community relations in Western Province, PNG.

Mr Werror was a non-executive Director of Oil Search Limited (2021), Managing Director and CEO of Ok Tedi Mining Ltd (2020 to 2022), Chair of Ok Tedi Development Foundation (2020 to 2022) and Chair of Western Province Health Authority (2019 to 2023).