(EnergyAsia, June 24 2010, Thursday) --- UK’s BG Group said it has appointed Chris Finlayson, a petrophysicist and wellsite petroleum engineer, to the position of Executive Vice President for Europe and Central Asia.

Mr Finlayson, most recently the upstream Executive Vice President for Shell Global Solutions will join BG Group from September 1.

Ashley Almanza, who has been acting in this role in addition to his CFO duties, will continue to have responsibility for BG Group's interests in Kazakhstan, with a view to transferring this responsibility to Mr Finlayson later in the year.

Frank Chapman, BG Group’s chief executive, said: “Chris brings with him 30 years of technical and commercial experience in the oil and gas industry, which he has gained in a variety of international settings and businesses. I am delighted to welcome him to our company and to BG Group's executive team.”

BG Group plc is a world leader in natural gas, with a strategy focused on connecting competitively priced resources to specific, high-value markets.