Trident Exploration Corp. appointed Mark Smith as COO, Jean-Pierre (J.P.) Buyze as CFO, and Ken Young as vice president of land, effective March 1, according to a March 2 press release.

Mark Smith, P.Eng. – Chief Operating Officer
Mr. Smith has over 30 years of experience in production, operations, budgeting, capital management and project execution.  Mark's experience includes executive positions with companies of varying sizes ranging from Burlington Resources Canada to Arcan Resources Ltd.  He holds a Bachelor of Engineering Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Western Ontario and is a Professional Engineer and a member in good standing with the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta." data-reactid="7" style="margin-top:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:12.0pt; margin-left:0in; text-align:start; -webkit-text-stroke-width:0px" type="text">Smith has more than 30 years’ experience in production, operations, budgeting, capital management and project execution, having worked at Burlington Resources Canada, Arcan Resources Ltd., and others.

He is a professional engineer and a member of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta.

Smith earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Western Ontario.

Jean-Pierre (J.P.) Buyze – Chief Financial Officer
J.P. Buyze has over 20 years of financing and advisory experience most recently as Managing Director of UBS Securities Canada in Calgary and has spent the majority of his career as an investment banker active in the energy sector.  J.P.'s capital markets experience includes placements of equity, both private and public issues, and debt.  In addition, he has extensive experience in mergers and acquisitions including advising on both corporate acquisitions and divestitures.  As an investment banker, J.P. has spent his career evenly between Calgary, Toronto and New York.  Mr. Buyze has a Bachelor of Engineering Science, majoring in Mechanical Engineering, and a Masters of Business Administration, each from the University of Western Ontario." data-reactid="8" style="margin-top:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:12.0pt; margin-left:0in; text-align:start; -webkit-text-stroke-width:0px" type="text">Buyze has more than 20 years’ financing and advisory experience, most recently as managing director of UBS Securities Canada in Calgary. For most of his career, he has been an investment banker active in the energy sector.

He has handled equity and debt placements and has M&A experience, including advising on corporate A&D.

Buyze earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s of business administration degree from the University of Western Ontario.

Young has more than 30 years’ experience in the North American upstream industry. Most recently, he worked at Enerplus Corp.

His experience includes executive management over all aspects of mineral land, A&D negotiation and execution, joint venture and corporate transactions.

Young earned a bachelor’s degree from Mount Allison University.