Empire Oil & Gas recruits Brown

Empire Oil & Gas has appointed former Woodside Petroleum executive Stuart Brown to its board as the company's new management looks to recruit experienced directors to guide its future.

Mr Brown held the position of vice-president strategic planning at Woodside for five years until 2012 and is currently managing director of his own petroleum consultancy business, International Oil and Gas Strategies.

He has previously held senior positions with Shell in the UK, Africa and the Middle East.

Empire chairman Tony Iannello said the company was delighted to have secured an oil and gas specialist with extensive corporate experience.

"Stuart will bring a wealth of knowledge to Empire," he said.

"His technical skills and strategic experience will both be invaluable as we seek to maximise shareholder returns from Empire's assets."

Mr Brown was appointed to the board of another Perth oil and gas company, WHL Energy, in December last year.

Empire will now seek to recruit another independent non-executive director.

The company is also in the process of finding a permanent chief executive to replace acting chief executive Kent Quinlan.