Beach Energy Ltd. has a new CEO. Matthew Kay will take the reins effective July 17 or such earlier date as is available and mutually agreed, the company said Jan. 12.

Kay most recently served as the executive general manager, strategy and commercial at Oil Search, a position he has held for the past two years. Based in Sydney, he was a member of the executive team and led the strategy, commercial, supply chain, economics, marketing, M&A and legal functions.

He will be relocating back to his hometown of Adelaide, Beach Energy said in an announcement.

He will take over from acting CEO Neil Gibbins.

Before joining Oil Search in 2014, Kay spent 12 years at Woodside Petroleum. Before that, he was at Santos.

During his time at Woodside, Kay held several leadership roles across corporate and business units, developing extensive leadership skills across LNG, pipeline gas and oil joint ventures and developments both internationally and within Australia. His broad experience at Woodside has included leading substantial M&A transactions, leading more than 80 production professionals, leadership roles in a number of operated LNG developments and extensive negotiations with joint venture partners, contractors, regulators and governments.

In five years at Santos, Kay focused mainly on M&A transactions and gas strategy development and execution in Australia and the Asia-Pacific region.

Kay holds a bachelor’s of economics and a MBA from the University of Adelaide. He is a Fellow of CPA Australia and a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.