MEG Energy Corp.’s board of directors has unanimously appointed Derek Evans to the position of president and CEO on Aug. 8, effective immediately.

Evans has over 35 years’ experience in the Canadian oil and gas business, including nine years as the CEO of Pengrowth Energy and six years as the CEO of Focus Energy Trust.

“The board conducted an exhaustive search with the assistance of an executive recruitment firm, and everyone involved determined that Derek best exemplified the qualities we were seeking among a number of highly qualified candidates,” Jeffrey McCaig, chairman of MEG, said.

Evans succeeds interim CEO Harvey Doerr, who will return to his role as an independent director of MEG.

Evans is a veteran in the Canadian energy industry, having led Pengrowth Energy through a difficult turnaround by focusing on capital allocation and its core assets; and Focus Energy Trust, which successfully generated substantial returns for shareholders. Prior to his CEO roles at Pengrowth and Focus, Evans held a variety of key operational and strategic roles at Storm Energy and Renaissance Energy.