Gulfport Energy Corp. (NASDAQ: GPOR) said Dec. 18 that its board of directors has appointed David M. Wood, a 40-year oil and gas industry veteran, to serve as president and CEO, effective immediately.

Wood will also join the company’s board of directors. Donnie Moore, who served as interim CEO during a nationwide search led by Heidrick & Struggles for a chief executive to lead Gulfport for the long term, will continue to serve as the company’s COO and report to Wood.

Wood joins Gulfport from Arsenal Resources LLC, a West Virginia focused natural gas producer and First Reserve Corp. portfolio company, where he most recently served as chairman of its board of directors and previously held the role of CEO. From 2013 to 2016, Wood served as a senior advisor to First Reserve, a premier energy-focused private equity firm, serving on several portfolio company boards.

Prior to that, he spent more than 17 years at Murphy Oil Corp., including as CEO, president, and director from 2009 until his retirement in 2012. From 1980 to 1994, Wood held various senior positions with Ashland Exploration and Production. He began his career as a well-site geologist in Saudi Arabia. Wood currently serves on the board of Lilis Energy Inc. (NYSE: LLEX), an exploration and development company operating in the Delaware Basin.

“After an extensive search, the board is fully confident that David has the right mix of industry vision and experience, leadership skills and deep industry knowledge to lead Gulfport into the future,” David L. Houston, chairman of the Gulfport Board, said.

David M. Wood holds a bachelor’s of science (Hons) in Geology from the University of Nottingham in England and completed Harvard University’s Advanced Management Program.