Maria Moraeus Hanssen today (4 January) stepped into the role of CEO and board chairman of German exploration and production firm DEA.
Before joining DEA, Hanssen had been working as CEO of ENGIE E&P International and Head of E&P Business Unit in the ENGIE Group in Paris for the last two years.
Hanssen said her main task would be to ensure DEA operates safely and delivers on business goals while adapting to current market challenges and amidst ongoing talks between LetterOne and BASF to finalize the merger of DEA and Wintershall.
Noting that oil and gas will remain vital to keeping society going, Hanssen said the oil and gas industry’s biggest challenge is trying to compensate for the natural decline from existing fields.
“We need to explore, develop and produce at lower costs, increased efficiency and with less impact on climate and environment,” Hanssen said. “The oil and gas industry needs to take an active role in the ongoing energy transition. Digitalization and increased focus on technology throughout the business will be some of the levers to help us on this way.”
Hanssen also has served as an investment director for Aker (2008 – 2013), senior vice president gas supply and infrastructure, Statoil (2007 – 2008), vice president/offshore installation manager, Hydro (2006 – 2007). Hanssen graduated in Petroleum Economics and Management from IFP School - Ecole Nationale Supérieure du Pétrole et des Moteurs, Paris, in 1992 and holds a degree in petroleum engineering from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, in 1989.
Hanssen is also the deputy chairman, and the leader of the Audit Committee, of the Supervisory Board of Yara International, a global leader in nitrogen-based fertilizer production.
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