Mr Barrisford Petersen is the founder and majority shareholder of Bastion. Mr Petersen is a specialist oil and gas attorney and also the founder and Managing Director of the law firm, BBP Law Incorporated. Mr Petersen has worked with and assisted successful oil and gas companies in the acquisition of oil and gas rights in various jurisdictions on the African continent. Many of these companies were listed on various exchanges throughout the world. As the former manager legal services of the South African national oil company, Mr Petersen was intricately involved in the successful Oribi, Oryx and Sable offshore oil and gas development projects east of Mossel Bay, South Africa.
Mr Jordaan Fouche is the backbone of Bastion’s technical innovation. Mr Fouche is a geophysicist with more than 30 years of experience in oil and gas field commercial modelling, operations and development. More importantly, Mr Fouche has reputable energy fund management experience. The recent discoveries of significant quantities of onshore gas in certain highly prospective areas within South Africa has significantly reduced exploration risk. Bastion has applied for and been granted oil and gas rights within these prospective areas.
OUR STRATEGY
Bastion’s strategy is multi-faceted. Its primary focus is exploring for onshore gas which can be immediately commercialised to supply small scale gas to power generation projects in support of South Africa’s current power generation deficit.
Bastion is able to find, evaluate and close oil and gas business opportunities and consequently mobilise resources rapidly. Bastion has as its core longstanding business and personal relationships covering all the necessary and required oil and gas disciplines.
As an empowered company Bastion is a partner of choice for current and existing petroleum rights holders seeking to explore South Africa’s rich oil and gas potential within the confines of South Africa’s developing empowerment legislation. Bastion is able to manage and control all of its oil and gas operations in South Africa, including that of its partners and co-venturers.
OUR RESPONSIBILITIES
Social, environmental and economic contribution towards society is a core value. Bastion is focused on bottom line shareholder value through all operational phases while respecting the planet and its people.
- We are committed to principles of accountability, transparency, ethical behaviour, respect for stakeholders’ interests, respect for human rights and adherence to the law.
- Bastion will protect the natural resources and biodiversity under its influence and ensure that all potential adverse impacts on the environment are identified and managed.
- Bastion is focused on meaningfully contributing to communities and seeks to implement initiatives that help communities develop.
ADVISORY TEAM
Barrisford is the founder and Managing Director of Bastion Oil and Gas (“Bastion”). Bastion has been in the making for the last 10 years as its strategy was being developed in finding low-cost entry points into this highly competitive and capital-intensive industry.
Barrisford holds a BA (Law), LLB degree from the University of the Western Cape and studied international oil and gas law in the United Kingdom and America. As an oil and gas specialist with more than 25 years’ experience in the oil and gas industry, Africa specifically, Barrisford brings to Bastion a wealth of experience overlapping commercial, legal, strategic and operational leadership roles.
Barrisford as former Manager Legal Services for the South African National oil Company was part of the team involved in the successful development of three of South Africa’s offshore developments namely the Oribi, Oryx and Sable projects. Barrisford was also a director and head of the oil and gas division of a top tier South African law firm.
In 2012, he went on to establish his own law firm, BBP Law Inc, and in its first year of establishment was awarded “Legal Advisor of the Year” by African Investor. BBP Law under his direction has acted for both private and listed oil companies, national oil companies and companies in the downstream oil sector.
Most recently, Barrisford acted and commercial and strategic advisor on the Kudu gas to power project. Barrisford brings not only his accumulated experience but also his vast network of relationships essential for doing business in Africa.
Founder and Managing Director of BBP Law Inc. Link to website: www.bbplaw.attorney
Anthony Naidoo holds a masters and Ph.D (Counselling Psychology) from Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana, USA. He was a Fulbright Fellow and did his post-doctoral studies at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. As his career progressed, he has held various senior positions as the Chair of several Boards, including being Director of the Institute for Counselling at the University of the Western Cape as well as being the first Black Professor and Departmental Chair of the Psychology Department at Stellenbosch University.
While he is registered as a counselling and clinical psychologist by profession for over 40 years with the Health Professions Council of South Africa, Prof. Naidoo’s passion lies within the social development, empowerment, and upliftment of marginalized and disadvantaged communities. He served as Project Director on numerous community development projects in the Western Cape, and was an integral founding Board Member of Usiko Stellenbosch, a Nonprofit Organization which grew out of the Usiko Trust, and focuses on providing psychological programmes and career development services to youth from disadvantaged backgrounds, rural communities and young offenders referred by the court system.
Anthony serves as the Specialist Community Engagement Advisor to Bastion. He is author to more than 100 academic chapters and journal articles and has supervised more than 80 masters and doctoral theses.
Mr Mthozami Xiphu holds a Bachelor of Law Degree (B Juris, UPE, 1995); BA (1983) and MA (1985) in Political Science (International Affairs) both obtained at Howard University, Washington, D.C., USA.
Mr Xiphu has served as the chairman of the Board of Directors of the South African Oil and Gas Alliance (SAOGA) since 2013. In addition hereto, he has served as an Interim Director and Director on the Board of PetroSA (The Petroleum Oil and Gas Corporation of South Africa (SOC) Ltd), being the National Oil Company of South Africa from 2017 to date. From 2005 to 2012, Mr Xiphu was the CEO of the Petroleum Agency of South Africa (PASA), being the National Licensing Authority for the exploration for and production of oil and gas. Prior to this responsibility, he served as Director: Legal Services for the then Department of Minerals and Energy. He joined the Department in 2001, in time to finalise the drafting and promulgation of the MPRDA (Act 28 of 2002), and left in 2005, to join PASA.
Jordaan Fouche holds an B.Sc. studies degree, honours degree in Geology and an MBA from the University of Stellenbosch. He is an oil industry professional with 30 years’ experience in exploration, field development, commercial modelling and energy fund management, just to name a few. Jordaan developed his operational and technical skills set as a geophysicist at SOEKOR/PetroSA where he served as a project leader and international portfolio manager.
Skilled in the interpretation of seismic data, well log interpretation, reserve/resource determination, prospect generation and other related geosciences skills, Jordaan brings not only a wealth of experience but the required technical and commercial expertise for oil and gas companies doing business in Africa and the international arena.
Jordaan was a founding member of the Earth Resources Investment Group, a leading and award-winning energy resource investment fund. Prior to that time, he was an investment analyst at Craton Capital and senior project manager at the Industrial Development Corporation, a South African development finance institution.
John holds a B.Com (Accounting; B.Com (Hons) and CTA from the University of Pretoria and qualified as a Chartered Accountant CA (SA) in 1988.
John is an oil and gas industry professional with more than 30 years’ experience in the upstream oil and gas sector, with broad based experience in leadership and financial management across the value chain of exploration, development and production.
He started his career in the industry within the Central Energy Fund Group of Companies in 1992 and held various financial management and leadership positions within SFF and Soekor. He was part of the task team that was instrumental in the creation of PetroSA and also held the position of Strategic Planning Manager of PetroSA. John joined Energy Africa in 2003 and in the same year Energy Africa was acquired by Tullow Oil.
Within Tullow Oil, working from the Cape Town regional office, John was mainly responsible for the financial management of the majority of explorations assets held by Tullow Oil in Africa, as well as production assets in Equitorial Guinea, Gabon, Ivory Coast and DRC.
Since leaving the employ of Tullow Oil end 2020, John is consulting with focus on upstream oil and gas.
