About

about
About Pason

Who we are

Pason is a leading energy services and technology company. We develop and deliver high-value hardware, software, and services, primarily for the oil and gas drilling industry.

Head office in Canada

Our head office is in Calgary, Alberta, with a United States office in Houston, Texas

Local touch, global reach

We have a local presence in Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Dubai, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, and Saudi Arabia

40+ years

For 40+ years, we’ve developed expertise building rig-tough and easy-to-use products, and offering best-in-class service

Who we serve

We serve E&P operators, drilling contractors, and other oilfield service companies

Clear market leader

We have a sustained market presence of 70% on drilling rigs in the Western Hemisphere

Distinctive technology & service

We are the Internet of Things of the drilling industry and offer distinctive field and remote service capabilities

What we do

We provide end-to-end data management solutions that make it fast, flexible, and easy for energy industry clients to securely access their critical operations information anytime, anywhere.

Over 40 years of innovation

1978

Founded by Wayne Parks and Ron Mason who created the name “Pason” based on a hybrid of their last names
1980

Acquired by Badger Drilling Ltd.
1987

Acquired by Jim Hill (current Chairman of the Board)
Early 1990s

Inventor Brian Taylor designed and introduced the Pit Volume Totalizer (PVT)
1994

First Electronic Drilling Recorder (EDR) rental goes out to the field
1996

Went public at $0.70 per share (effectively $0.17 per share with two splits)
1997

Entered the US market and acquired Rocky Mountain Geo Engineering
2003

Entered Latin America
2006

Entered Australia
2009

Purchased Petron Industries based in Houston, TX
2014

Entered into joint venture in Saudi Arabia
2015

Opened Dubai office
2016

Acquired Verdazo Analytics
2017

Entered into DAS licensing agreement with ExxonMobil
2019

Acquired Energy Toolbase based in Stuart, FL
2019

Acquired a minority interest in Intelligent Wellhead Systems

1978

Founded by Wayne Parks and Ron Mason who created the name “Pason” based on a hybrid of their last names
1980

Acquired by Badger Drilling Ltd.
1987

Acquired by Jim Hill (current Chairman of the Board)
Early 1990s

Inventor Brian Taylor designed and introduced the Pit Volume Totalizer (PVT)
1994

First Electronic Drilling Recorder (EDR) rental goes out to the field
1996

Went public at $0.70 per share (effectively $0.17 per share with two splits)
1997

Entered the US market and acquired Rocky Mountain Geo Engineering
2003

Entered Latin America
2006

Entered Australia
2009

Purchased Petron Industries based in Houston, TX
2014

Entered into joint venture in Saudi Arabia
2015

Opened Dubai office
2016

Acquired Verdazo Analytics
2017

Entered into DAS licensing agreement with ExxonMobil
2019

Acquired Energy Toolbase based in Stuart, FL
2019

Acquired a minority interest in Intelligent Wellhead Systems

Board of Directors

James D. Hill

Chair of the Board

James Hill, who lives in Calgary, Alberta, served as Pason’s President and Chief Executive Officer for 25 years, has been a director of the Corporation since 1996, and is currently the Chairman of the Board. His career includes previous experience as the Secretary-Treasurer with Badger Drilling Ltd. and prior to that, he spent five years with Ernst & Young in various capacities, including working as an Audit Manager. Mr. Hill served on the Board of Directors of the Petroleum Services Association of Canada and the Board of the Canadian Association of Drilling Engineers. He is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Alberta and holds a degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Toronto.

James B. Howe

Lead Director, Chair of the Audit Committee

James Howe lives in Calgary, Alberta, and has been a director of the Corporation since 1997. He is President of Bragg Creek Financial Consultants Ltd., a private financial consulting company, and serves on the Board of Directors of Wrangler West Energy Corp., Bengal Energy Ltd., Ensign Energy Services Inc., and Holloway Lodging Corporation. With a Bachelor of Arts from the Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario, Mr. Howe has served as the Chief Financial Officer of several public companies and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Alberta.

T. Jay Collins

Chair of the Compensation Committee

Jay Collins, of Houston, Texas was appointed to the Pason Board in August 2012. Since 2002, Mr. Collins has been a director of Oceaneering International, Inc., a global oilfield provider of engineered service and products primarily to the offshore oil and gas industry. He served as Chief Executive Officer of Oceaneering from 2006 to 2011, and prior to that, held numerous senior positions in the company. Mr. Collins has substantial knowledge and experience in the oil and gas industry and has served on numerous industry-related boards, including the National Ocean Industries Association, National Petroleum Council, the American Productivity & Quality Center, the Texas Institute of Science, and the Houston Technology Center. He also serves on the board of CanCare of Houston and the board of Rice University, where he is Chairman of the Council of Overseers at the Jones Graduate School of Business Administration. Mr. Collins holds an Master of Business Administration from Harvard Graduate School of Business, and both his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Engineering in Chemical Engineering degrees are from Rice University.

Judi M. Hess

Chair of the Corporate Governance and Nomination Committee

Judi Hess is the CEO of Copperleaf Technologies, Inc., a position she has held since 2009. Copperleaf Technologies is a privately-owned enterprise software startup. Previously, she was the President of Creo Inc., a publicly-traded printing technology and workflow company that was acquired by Kodak in 2005. After Kodak’s acquisition, she was named Country Manager of Canadian operations and Corporate Vice President and General Manager of one of Kodak’s global business units. Prior to joining Creo, Judi Hess was at MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates, an aerospace and defense company. She has been a member of the Premier’s Technology Council of British Columbia since 2009.

Laura Schwinn

Director

Laura Schwinn is currently the President of W. R. Grace & Co.’s Specialty Catalysts business, one of Grace’s three global operating segments. Grace is a publicly traded leading global supplier of catalysts and engineered materials. Prior to this, from 2014 to 2017 Ms. Schwinn was the CEO of C&C Reservoirs, a privately-owned, global company that provides reservoir knowledge used to derive detailed insight across the E&P lifecycle for geoscientists, reservoir engineers, production engineers, and production managers. Ms. Schwinn was also at Halliburton, one of the world's largest oilfield service companies, from 2002 to 2013 and was the Global Vice President of the Drill Bits and Services division from 2010 to 2013.

Marcel Kessler

President and Chief Executive Officer

Marcel Kessler is President, Chief Executive Officer, and a director of Pason Systems Inc. and has overall management responsibility for the company.

Marcel joined Pason in November 2011, and is an experienced executive who has worked in several European countries, the United States, and South America before moving to Canada in 2000.

Prior to joining Pason, Marcel was President, North America, of Exploration Logistics Group. His career also includes the positions of President and Chief Executive Officer of CCR Technologies Ltd. and Partner at McKinsey & Company.

Marcel holds a Master of Engineering at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology as well as a Master of Finance from the London Business School.

Calgary, AB

Senior leadership

Kevin Boston

Vice President, Business Development

Kevin Boston leads all aspects of sales, marketing, and business development for Pason USA. Kevin joined Pason in September 2010 and previously held positions of Vice President - Corporate Development, Vice President – International, and General Manager – 3PS Inc.

Prior to joining Pason, Kevin advised private equity and corporate clients on MA&A, restructuring, and strategy for Oliver Wyman, a global leader in management consulting. He has worked extensively throughout Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, and North America during his career.

Kevin holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance and Accounting and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Texas in Austin.

Houston, TX

Jon Faber

Chief Financial Officer

Jon Faber oversees a variety of responsibilities in his role as CFO, including finance and accounting, risk management, investor relations, information technology, and supply chain. Jon is a strategic business partner to the CEO and the executive team, helps to shape the growth agenda and future of Pason as a business, and is the chief financial spokesperson with the company’s external stakeholders.

Jon joined Pason as Chief Financial Officer in March 2014. Prior to Pason, Jon worked in investment banking with National Bank Financial, with a dedicated focus on the energy services sector, and a predecessor firm, Wellington West Capital Markets.

Jon received a Bachelor of Business Administration from Brock University and a Master of Business Administration from Purdue University and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst, Chartered Business Valuator, and Chartered Professional Accountant designations.

Calgary, AB

Natalie Fenez

VP, Legal & Corporate Secretary

Natalie Fenez leads Pason’s legal team and is responsible for the oversight of the company’s legal affairs and policies worldwide.

Natalie has nearly 20 years’ experience practicing law both in-house and in private practice. She has significant experience in drafting and negotiating complex contracts, mergers and acquisitions, business functions and operations, corporate governance, employment law, dispute resolution, and securities and regulatory compliance. Before joining Pason, Natalie served as Legal Counsel for the Corporate Services departments at the City of Calgary and Alberta Health Services. Prior to that, she worked in private practice as a member of the Tax group of Miller Thomson LLP. Since joining Pason in 2017, Natalie has held the roles of Legal Counsel and Director, Human Resources.

Natalie holds a Law degree from the University of Moncton, New Brunswick, and a Bachelor of Commerce (Hons) in Accounting from the University of Manitoba.

Calgary, AB

Timur Kuru

President and General Manager, United States

Timur Kuru is responsible for leading and building upon our very successful and established business in the US, defending and expanding our strong market position, and generating new ideas for profitable growth in our biggest market.

Timur brings more than 20 years of oil and gas industry experience and working knowledge to Pason. Most recently, he served as Executive Vice President of Solaris, where he led manufacturing, service, and rental operations. Prior to joining Solaris, he was the Vice President of Engineering, Manufacturing, and Operations Support for Key Energy Services. He has also held executive positions at LeTourneau Technologies and Forum Energy Technologies. In addition, Timur’s background includes working for several years with Bain & Company as a management consultant and with Schlumberger where he began his career as field engineer.

Timur has a Master’s of Business Administration from Harvard University, and holds both a Bachelor of Science and Master's in Electrical Engineering from Rice University.

Houston, TX

Bryce McLean

Vice President, Operations, Canada

Bryce McLean is responsible for the Canadian business unit and Pason's centralized Support Services groups. The Canadian business unit includes field operations; sales and marketing; health, safety, and environment; human resources; and operational finance functions. Pason's Support Services team provides best-in-class customer support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. This integrated team includes knowledgeable front-line technical solutions and tier-2 specialist groups, along with technical communicators and a troubleshooting database group.

Since Bryce joined Pason in 2011, he has held various positions in Canada and the US, including Vice President, Legal & Corporate Secretary, and Director of US Operations.

Prior to joining Pason, Bryce practiced business law at Field Law in Calgary.

Bryce holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, with a concentration in Marketing from Valley City State University, along with a Bachelor of Law degree from the University of Alberta's Faculty of Law.

Calgary, AB

Fiona Mueller-Thode

President, Verdazo Analytics Inc. (a Pason Company)

Fiona Mueller-Thode is responsible for leading and building upon the success of our discovery analytics software company, Verdazo Analytics Inc. She joined Pason in 2008, and during her tenure has held numerous progressive sales and business development roles, with the most recent being Director, New Ventures. Her latest role included working on the Verdazo Analytics acquisition.

Prior to joining Pason, Fiona held business development and operations management roles at Oil & Gas service companies in addition to marketing positions before moving into the industry over 18 years ago.

Fiona holds a Master of Business Administration from Queen’s University and a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Calgary.

Calgary, AB

Lars Olesen

Vice President, Product Management

Lars Olesen leads the strategic planning, development, and commercialization of Pason’s innovative suite of rigsite and office products.

Lars joined Pason in 1999 as the company’s first marketing and sales representative. During his tenure Lars has held numerous progressive sales, business development, and product management roles, with the most recent being Director, Rigsite Solutions, Product Line Management.

Prior to Pason, Lars spent a number of years with a directional drilling company in a well planning and sales capacity.

Lars holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Calgary.

Calgary, AB

Russell Smith

Vice President, International

Russell Smith leads Pason’s International business unit, which includes field operations, sales, health and safety, logistics, and related support services. The International business unit, which is headquarted in Houston, Texas, oversees Pason’s business interests and provides support to customers in Latin America, Australia, offshore, regions in the Middle East and Africa, as well as our Joint Venture company in Saudi Arabia.

Russell joined Pason in July 2010, and most recently held the position of Vice President, Business Development and Marketing. He has over 18 years of oilfield-related experience in business development, sales, and general management. Prior to joining Pason, Russell held various roles with global responsibility at Halliburton and Knowledge Systems.

Russell has a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Distribution from Texas A&M University.

Houston, TX

Ryan van Beurden

Vice President, Rigsite Research & Development

Ryan van Beurden leads the research and development of Pason’s rigsite suite of products.

Ryan joined Pason in 2002 as a mechanical engineer. During his tenure at Pason, Ryan has held various progressive R&D design, management and director roles, with the most recent being Director, Rigsite Products.

Prior to Pason, he spent a short time working in gas compression manufacturing and at an E&P operator developing SCADA systems.

Ryan has a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering with Distinction degree from the University of Calgary.

Calgary, AB

Reid Wuntke

President, Energy Toolbase (a Pason Company)

Reid Wuntke is responsible for leading and expanding Energy Toolbase, a Pason company that is an industry leading software platform for modeling, controlling, managing, monitoring, and validating the economics of solar and energy storage projects. Further, Reid is also responsible for identifying and pursuing profitable growth opportunities for Pason beyond our current rig-based core business. This includes opportunities for products and services within the industry as well as outside of oil and gas.

Prior to joining Pason, Reid was the co-founder and COO of MobSquad, a Calgary-based company that is focused on creating teams of software engineers and data scientists for US-based clients. Prior to that, he was a director of Corporate Development at Parkland Fuel where he played a key role in over $1 billion of acquisitions. Leading up to that, he was VP Operations at a Vancouver-based start-up and also spent a couple years as a consultant with McKinsey & Co. His professional career began with 11 years of service in the Royal Canadian Air Force as an aerospace engineer where he rose to the rank of a captain.

Reid has a Master of Business Administration from the University of British Columbia and holds a Bachelor of Chemistry and Physics degree from the Royal Military College of Canada.

Calgary, AB

Learn more about our Corporate Governance >

Corporate responsibility

Corporate responsibility is an integral part of Pason’s culture, mission, and strategy. We consider corporate responsibility essential to Pason’s long-term profitability and value creation for all stakeholders. We conduct our business with integrity, transparency, and accountability. Pason has built a culture that values personal and professional growth, and our employees are empowered to “do the right thing” in all their business dealings, whether they be interacting with colleagues, shareholders, customers, suppliers, partners, community, environment, or government.

Learn more >

About Pason

Who we are

Head office in Canada

Local touch, global reach

40+ years

Who we serve

Clear market leader

Distinctive technology & service

What we do

Over 40 years of innovation

1978

1980

1987

Early 1990s

1994

1996

1997

2003

2006

2009

2014

2015

2016

2017

2019

2019

1978

1980

1987

Early 1990s

1994

1996

1997

2003

2006

2009

2014

2015

2016

2017

2019

2019

Board of Directors

James D. Hill

Chair of the Board

James B. Howe

Lead Director, Chair of the Audit Committee

T. Jay Collins

Chair of the Compensation Committee

Judi M. Hess

Chair of the Corporate Governance and Nomination Committee

Laura Schwinn

Director

Marcel Kessler

President and Chief Executive Officer

Senior leadership

Kevin Boston

Vice President, Business Development

Jon Faber

Chief Financial Officer

Natalie Fenez

VP, Legal & Corporate Secretary

Timur Kuru

President and General Manager, United States

Bryce McLean

Vice President, Operations, Canada

Fiona Mueller-Thode

President, Verdazo Analytics Inc. (a Pason Company)

Lars Olesen

Vice President, Product Management

Russell Smith

Vice President, International

Ryan van Beurden

Vice President, Rigsite Research & Development

Reid Wuntke

President, Energy Toolbase (a Pason Company)

Corporate responsibility