Meet our Board of Directors
Ryan Stokes AO
NON-EXECUTIVE INTERIM CHAIR
BComm FAIM
Mr Stokes is the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Seven Group Holdings (SGH). SGH (ASX:SVW) is a leading Australian diversified operating and investment group with market leading businesses and investments in industrial services, media and energy. This includes Westrac, Coates, Boral (72.6%), Seven West Media (39%), and Beach (30%). Mr Stokes is Chair of WesTrac, Coates, Boral, and a Non-executive Director of Seven West Media. Mr Stokes is Chief Executive Officer of Australian Capital Equity (ACE). ACE is a private company with its primary investment being an interest in SGH.
Mr Stokes is Chairman of the National Gallery of Australia and is an Officer of the Order of Australia.
Mr Stokes is an executive director of SGH (since 2010) and a non-executive director of Seven West Media (since 2012) and Boral Limited (since Sept. 2020).
Mr Stokes was appointed to the Board on 20 July 2016 and ceased to be a director in November 2021. He was then appointed an alternate director for Margaret Hall on 1 December 2021 and ceased to be an alternate director on 23 July 2023.
Mr Stokes was re-appointed to the Board on 23 July 2023 and appointed Interim Chairman effective 14 November 2023.
Ryan Stokes – Beach Energy Director
Brett Woods
MANAGING DIRECTOR AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
BSc (Hons) Geology and Geophysics
Mr Woods is a leading senior executive in the energy sector with over 25 years of professional experience. He has an outstanding record of delivering major energy projects, cost and operational discipline and growing businesses in the UK, Africa, Australasia and North America. Mr Woods began his career with Woodside Energy in the graduate program and held senior technical roles in Australia, the UK, and Africa.
In 2007, Mr Woods became Managing Director and CEO of African start-up Rialto Energy. He was responsible for growing Rialto’s business through acquiring new exploration licences in Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire, raising capital and commencing 2 large drilling campaigns in the highly prospective Transform Margin.
In 2013 Mr Woods joined Santos and quickly moved into the executive leadership team assuming leadership of the Western Australia and Northern Territory Operating Division.
Mr Woods led the successful transformation of the Cooper Basin and Gladstone LNG assets and played key roles in the successful acquisitions by Santos of Quadrant Energy, ConocoPhillips’ Northern Australian business and Oil Search. More recently Mr Woods assumed control of the Santos operated Infrastructure (LNG, Domestic Gas, Oil Fractionation facilities and Pipelines) and developed decarbonisation, Clean Fuels and CCS opportunities through leading Santos Energy Solutions business.
He was appointed Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Beach Energy Limited on 29 January 2024.
Brett Woods – Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer
Richard Richards
NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
BComs/Law (Hons), LLM, MAppFin, CA, Admitted Solicitor
Mr Richards is currently Chief Financial Officer of Seven Group Holdings Limited (SGH) (since October 2013). He is responsible for Finance across the diversified conglomerate (equipment manufacture, sales and service, equipment hire, investments, property, media and oil and gas). Mr Richards is a member of the Board of Directors of WesTrac Pty Limited and SGH Energy Pty Limited, is a Director and Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee of Coates Hire Pty Limited, a Director of Boral Limited, a former Director and member of KU Children Services (NFP) and a member of the Marcia Burgess Foundation Committee (DGR). He has held senior finance roles with Downer EDI, the Lowy Family Group and Qantas.
Mr Richards is both a Chartered Accountant and admitted solicitor with over 30 years of experience in business and complex financial structures, corporate governance, risk management and audit.
Mr Richards’ special responsibilities include membership of the Audit Committee and the Remuneration and Nomination Committee. He was appointed to the Board on 4 February 2017 and was last re-elected to the Board on 25 November 2020.
Richard Richards – Beach Energy Director
Dr Peter Moore
INDEPENDENT NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
PhD, BSc (Hons), MBA, GAICD
Dr Moore has over 40 years of oil and gas industry experience. His career commenced at the Geological Survey of Western Australia, with subsequent appointments at Delhi Petroleum Pty Ltd, Esso Australia, ExxonMobil and Woodside. Dr Moore joined Woodside as Geological Manager in 1998 and progressed through the roles of Head of Evaluation, Exploration Manager Gulf of Mexico, Manager Geoscience Technology Organisation and Vice President Exploration Australia. From 2009 to 2013, Dr Moore led Woodside’s global exploration efforts as Executive Vice President Exploration. In this capacity, he was a member of Woodside’s Executive Committee and Opportunities Management Committee, a leader of its Crisis Management Team, Head of the Geoscience function and a director of ten subsidiary companies. From 2014 to 2018, Dr Moore was a Professor and Executive Director of Strategic Engagement at Curtin University’s Business School. He has his own consulting company, Norris Strategic Investments Pty Ltd. Dr Moore is currently a non-executive director of Carnarvon Petroleum Ltd (since 2015).
Dr Moore’s special responsibilities include chairmanship of the Remuneration and Nomination Committee and membership of the Risk, Corporate Governance and Sustainability Committee and the Audit Committee. Dr Moore was appointed by the Board on 1 July 2017 and last reelected to the Board on 16 November 2022.
Dr Peter Moore – Beach Energy Director
Sally-Anne Layman
INDEPENDENT NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
B Eng (Mining) Hon, B Com,CPA, MAICD
Sally-Anne Layman is a company director with diverse international experience in the resources sector and financial markets. Previously, Ms Layman held a range of senior positions with Macquarie Group Limited, including as Division Director and Joint Head of the Perth office of the Metals, Mining & Agriculture Division.
Prior to moving into finance, Ms Layman undertook various roles with resource companies including Mount Isa Mines, Great Central Mines and Normandy Yandal. Ms Layman holds a WA First Class Mine Manager’s Certificate of Competency.
Ms Layman is also a Non-Executive Director of Imdex Ltd, Pilbara Minerals Ltd and Newcrest Mining Ltd.
Ms Layman holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Mining) Hon from Curtin University and a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Southern Queensland. Ms Layman is a Certified Practicing Accountant, and is a member of CPA Australia Ltd and the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Ms Layman is Chair of the Audit Committee and a member of the Remuneration and Nomination Committee and the Risk, Corporate Governance and Sustainability Committee. She was appointed to the Board in February 2019 and reelected to the Board on 16 November 2022.
Sally-Anne Layman – Beach Energy Director
Bruce Clement
NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
BEng (Civil) Hons, BSc, MBA
Mr Clement has over 40 years of domestic and international energy industry experience. He has managed oil and gas exploration, development and production operations in Australia and Asia and has delivered key projects across these regions and in the UK and US. He also has extensive experience and knowledge of the Perth Basin, including overseeing the discovery of the Waitsia gas field as Managing Director of AWE.
Mr Clement previously held engineering, senior management, and board positions with several companies including Santos, Norwest Energy, AWE, ExxonMobil and Roc Oil. He is currently a non-executive director of Horizon Oil.
Mr Clement holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Civil) Hons and a Bachelor of Science (Maths & Computer Science) from Sydney University and a Masters of Business Administration from Macquarie University.
He was appointed a non-executive director of Beach Energy Limited on 8 May 2023.
Bruce Clement – Beach Energy Director
Sally Martin
NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
BE (Elec)
Ms Martin is a former senior executive who held various roles at Shell over a 34-year career. She has extensive operational and business team leadership experience in complex industrial environments including refining and trading. Ms Martin has strong ESG credentials, including in energy transition strategy development as Vice President Health, Safety, Security, Environment & Social Performance at Shell.
Ms Martin is an independent non-executive director of copper mining company Sandfire Resources and is the senior independent non-executive director of Porvair Plc., a specialist filtration and environmental technology company.
She holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree from University College Cork, Ireland and is a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Ms Martin was appointed to the Board on 11 March 2024.
Sally Martin – Beach Energy Director