Houston-based LNG firm Tellurian Inc. announced May 16 that its COO Keith Teague is retiring from full time employment and will continue with Tellurian in an advisory role. The company has hired former McDermott International Executive Vice President and COO Samik Mukherjee, who will serve in the role of executive vice president and president of Driftwood Assets.

Executive Chairman Charif Souki said, “Keith has been an integral part of my team for many years, having been responsible for the development, construction and operation of our liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects at Cheniere, and now he has led Tellurian to the construction phase of Driftwood LNG. We have had a lot of success and fun working together on these projects and have built memories that will last a lifetime. All of us at Tellurian appreciate his dedication to our continued success and look forward to his further contributions as he transitions into retirement.”

Mukherjee will be responsible for all Tellurian’s asset projects including the construction and operations of Driftwood LNG.  Mukherjee has over thirty years of experience in the energy industry, having recently served as executive vice president and COO of McDermott, a global construction and engineering provider, where he was responsible for global operations, project execution, asset management and advancing company strategy.

Tellurian President and CEO Octávio Simões said, “Samik has proven results in developing and delivering over 60 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) of LNG capacity over five projects and five countries. He brings strong business acumen as well as engineering experience, industry and organizational leadership and a proficiency in energy transition, and we welcome him to the Tellurian family.”