Leadership Team

Nicholas Myerson serves as Chief Executive Officer of Entara. He has previously held leadership roles as CEO of Crossbridge Energy Partners, CEO of Origin International Inc., and Head of Residual Oils at Gunvor SA and OW Bunker. He focuses on commercial strategy, operational excellence, and hydrocarbon recycling. Nicholas holds an M.A. in Law from Cambridge University.

Derek Becht serves as Chief Operating Officer of Entara. He previously served as President Plant Services of Becht, a global energy consultancy, where he achieved significant growth during his tenure. He has led multiple international acquisitions and brings extensive experience from operational and technical roles at Valero refineries. His experience supports operations excellence and asset competitiveness of Entara’s assets. Derek holds a P.E., a B.S. in Chemical Engineering, and an MBA from Indiana University.

Laurent serves as Chief Financial Officer of Entara Partners. He brings extensive experience in financial leadership, having served as Vice President Finance and Group Controller at Puma Energy since 2009. In this role, he was responsible for global financial consolidation, internal controls, and managerial finance across diverse international markets. Throughout his career, Laurent has demonstrated a strong ability to implement robust financial frameworks and drive sustainable performance improvements. His deep expertise in international finance and governance supports Entara’s financial resilience and long-term strategic objectives.

Stephen Webster serves as Chief Information Officer of Entara. He brings extensive experience in IT strategy, cybersecurity, and operations within the energy sector. He has held leadership roles at private equity-backed and Fortune 100 companies, including Crossbridge Energy Partners and Leeward Renewable Energy. He previously served as Chief Technology Officer at MRE Consulting and founded StratITsphere Data Center Solutions. Stephen holds an MBA from the University of Houston and a B.A. in Computer Science from the University of Texas at Austin.

Reinout Houttuin serves as Senior Vice President, Refining at Entara. He has extensive experience in operational excellence, technical leadership, and safety management. He previously held multiple leadership roles at the Cressier Refinery for VARO, including 7 years as refinery manager, and served in an operational excellence role developing management systems. Earlier in his career, he worked at Shell Global Solutions as a Process Technologist. Reinout holds a Master’s degree in Process Engineering from Rijks University Groningen.

Alan Buchanan serves as Vice President Human Resources at Entara. He is an experienced global HR leader with expertise in organizational transformation, change management, talent development, and diversity and inclusion initiatives. Prior to joining Entara, Alan was the Global Head of HR & Reward for Tullow Oil. He served as Head of HR for the De Beers Group from 2019 to 2021. Alan spent 18 years with Shell in various HR roles including a role as HR Manager for the Shell Convent Refinery in Louisiana, USA.

Alan has a Business Degree (BA Hons) and a Masters (MSc) in Human Resource Management from The Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, UK and is a Fellow of the Charted Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).

Eric Hutchins serves as Vice President, Strategy at Entara. He brings extensive refining industry experience from leadership roles at Solomon, Hovensa, and Process Consulting Services. His background includes refining strategy, technology leadership, and operational consulting. Eric holds a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of New Mexico.

Deborah Nicholson serves as Vice President, Operational Excellence at Entara. She is a Chartered Engineer with extensive experience across refining, petrochemical, and chemical operations management. Deborah has led operational excellence initiatives, asset due diligence programs, and large-scale operational transformations for global energy organizations. She holds an MBA and is recognized for her leadership in safety, performance improvement, and organizational development.

Dean Maniatis serves as Vice President, Health Safety and Environment at Entara. He is an experienced HSE leader with a strong track record in safety performance and environmental stewardship across the refining industry. He previously held senior HSE leadership roles at Phillips 66 and ConocoPhillips. Dean holds a B.S. in Microbiology and Environmental Science from Colorado State University.

Walker Hambrick serves as Director of Mergers & Acquisitions at Entara. He is responsible for the origination, diligence, and execution of acquisition opportunities. Walker previously held M&A, corporate development, and strategy roles at Crossbridge Energy Partners, Kinder Morgan, and Enviva. Earlier in his career, he worked in leveraged finance at ING Bank supporting upstream and midstream energy transactions.

Matt Drake serves as Director of Commercial Asset Management at Entara. He leads Entara’s Greenfield O&M business and stakeholder development for renewable partnerships. Matt previously held leadership roles at Crossbridge Energy Partners, ExxonMobil, and KBR, with experience spanning capital projects, technology licensing, and commercial operations. He holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Louisiana Tech University and an MBA from Louisiana State University.

Matthew Johnson serves as Director of Asset Strategy at Entara. He supports corporate development and operations management through strategic leadership and operational analysis. Matthew previously served as Asset Performance Manager at Crossbridge Energy and held engineering and operations roles at Valero Energy and ExxonMobil. He is multilingual in English and Spanish. Matt has a BS in Chemical Engineering from Brigham Young University, and an MBA from the University of Texas.

Patrick Darby serves as Director of Refining Optimization at Entara. He brings more than 30 years of experience in refining, commercial operations, procurement, and business leadership. Prior to joining Entara, he held leadership roles at Phillips 66, where he led refinery and commercial organizations and delivered strong financial, safety, and operational performance. Patrick has driven significant value creation through refining optimization and crude valuation initiatives, generating more than $650 million in annual margin improvements. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Michigan Technological University and is recognized for developing high-performing teams and leading organizational transformation.