Board of Directors

Michael Hibberd

Chairman, Independent Director

Mr. Hibberd is currently Chairman of the Board of ‎‎Canacol and brings over 40 ‎‎years of industry and senior ‎‎leadership experience to the Corporation.  For ‎over ‎‎28 ‎‎years, Mr. Hibberd has been Chairman and ‎CEO ‎of MJH ‎‎Services Inc., ‎‎a ‎corporate ‎finance advisory ‎firm.  He is ‎‎also ‎currently Vice Chairman of ‎‎Sunshine ‎‎Oilsands Ltd., ‎‎Chairman of PetroFrontier ‎Corp. and ‎‎serves as a ‎board ‎‎member of D2 Lithium Corp. 

Formerly, he ‎‎was ‎‎‎Chairman of ‎Heritage Oil Plc, Heritage ‎Oil ‎‎Corporation ‎‎and Greenfields Petroleum ‎‎Corporation; ‎and former ‎‎director of ‎‎Montana Exploration ‎Corp., Avalite ‎Inc., ‎CanAsia Energy Corp., ‎‎‎Challenger Energy Corp., Deer ‎‎Creek ‎‎Energy, ‎‎Iteration ‎Energy Ltd., Pan ‎Orient Energy ‎Corp., Rally ‎Energy ‎Corp., ‎‎Sagres ‎Energy, ‎Skope ‎Energy Inc. and Zapata ‎Energy ‎‎‎Corporation‎‎. 

Mr. Hibberd ‎‎holds a BA and an MBA from ‎the University of Toronto ‎and ‎an LLB from Western ‎University‎.

Charle Gamba

President, CEO & Director

Mr. Gamba is currently the President and Chief ‎Executive ‎Officer of ‎Canacol, a role ‎he has held since ‎he founded ‎the Corporation in 2008.  ‎Mr. Gamba has 30 ‎years of ‎‎international oil and gas experience, and has ‎‎previously ‎worked for Imperial Oil, ‎Canadian Occidental ‎Oil and Gas, ‎‎Occidental Petroleum, and Alberta Energy ‎‎Company in ‎Southeast Asia, ‎the Middle East, West ‎Africa, Canada, ‎and Latin ‎America. 

He has served ‎on ‎the board of ‎directors of several publicly listed and ‎‎private oil and ‎gas ‎companies where he held positions ‎on the ESG, audit, ‎‎reserves, ‎HSE and compensation ‎committees.  Mr. ‎Gamba currently sits on the ‎‎board of ‎the Asociación ‎Colombiana de Petroleo and Naturgas, ‎two ‎industry ‎‎groups that form upstream, midstream and ‎downstream ‎policy ‎for the oil and gas ‎industry in ‎Colombia. 

Mr. Gamba ‎holds a B.Sc., an ‎M.Sc., ‎and a ‎Ph.D. in ‎Geology‎‎‎.

David Winter

Independent Director

Dr. Winter is the Chief Executive Officer and Director of ‎‎ ‎Horizon ‎‎Petroleum Ltd.  He is also a Director of ‎Nevada ‎Lithium Resources Inc.  ‎He was a co-founder of ‎‎Canacol.  ‎‎

Previously, Dr. ‎Winter ‎was the ‎Founder, Chief ‎‎Executive ‎Officer ‎and ‎Director ‎of Excelsior Energy ‎‎Limited, an oil ‎‎sands focused ‎exploration ‎‎‎company.  Dr. ‎‎Winter brings over 40 ‎years of international ‎experience ‎‎in a ‎variety ‎‎of ‎technical, ‎management and ‎leadership ‎roles ‎living and working in ‎Latin ‎‎‎America, the Middle ‎‎East, ‎‎Southeast Asia and the ‎UK North Sea. 

His ‎‎‎experience ‎‎was gained ‎working at ‎British Petroleum, ‎‎Sun ‎Oil, Canadian ‎‎‎Occidental,‎ Alberta Energy ‎Company, ‎‎Calvalley ‎‎‎Petroleum and Excelsior ‎Energy ‎Limited.  Dr. ‎‎Winter holds a ‎B.Sc. (Hons) in ‎‎Geology ‎from ‎the ‎‎University of  ‎London, an M.Sc. in ‎Structural Geology ‎‎‎and Rock Mechanics ‎from ‎‎Imperial College, University ‎of ‎London and a Ph.D. in ‎Structural ‎‎Geology ‎from ‎‎‎Edinburgh University‎‎.

Francisco Diaz

Independent Director

Mr. Diaz has more than 30 years of experience as an ‎‎international executive ‎‎and ‎general manager.  Mr. Diaz ‎is ‎currently the Managing Partner at ‎‎Evolvere Capital ‎‎SAS, a ‎private equity firm ‎that ‎‎manages various ‎‎‎portfolio ‎‎‎‎companies in Colombia, Latin America, and ‎‎‎Spain.  

He ‎is ‎also ‎‎the Chairman ‎of the Board and ‎Chair of ‎the Audit ‎‎Committee ‎of ‎Systemgroup, a financial ‎‎‎‎‎services ‎company ‎which operates ‎in seven Latin ‎‎‎‎American ‎countries.  Mr. ‎‎Diaz previously occupied the position of ‎‎‎President and ‎Chief Executive ‎Officer for Organización ‎Corona SA, and ‎‎various ‎executive positions for ‎‎Monsanto Company ‎including President ‎of the Global ‎‎Food Ingredients ‎‎Division, Vice President of Global ‎‎Strategy, and Vice ‎President ‎and ‎General Manager for ‎Latin America.  

He currently leads a foundation ‎that ‎‎provides nutrition to ‎more than ‎‎100,000 disadvantaged ‎children in ‎Colombia on a daily basis.  ‎Mr. ‎Diaz ‎‎received ‎an ‎undergraduate degree in Chemical ‎‎Engineering ‎from ‎Northeastern ‎University, a graduate ‎degree from ‎the J.L. ‎Kellog Graduate School of ‎‎‎Management at ‎Northwestern University and a ‎graduate ‎degree from ‎Hult ‎‎International Business School.

Gustavo Gattass

Independent Director

After 20 years in the banking industry covering the oil ‎and gas and power ‎industries, Mr. Gattass is now a ‎board member of several energy and ‎power ‎companies.  Having started working in the equity ‎research ‎department of Banco Icatu, Mr. Gattass later ‎moved to UBS and BTG ‎Pactual, where he was ranked a ‎top analyst in energy and power for many ‎years and ‎where he ran the LatAm research ‎department.  

Upon ‎leaving BTG Pactual in 2015, Mr. ‎Gattass joined the ‎boards of Petrobras and its fuel distribution subsidiary ‎‎BR Distribuidora, and later was a member of a number ‎of other boards in the energy, ‎power and water utility ‎space.  Mr. Gattass holds a degree in Economics ‎from ‎PUC-Rio‎‎.‎‎‎‎

Silvestre Tovar Leopardi

Independent Director

Mr. Tovar Leopardi brings over 33 years of senior ‎leadership experience in ‎the banking, automotive and ‎telecommunication industries.  His expertise ‎extends to ‎legal and business affairs, banking and capital market ‎‎regulation, and cross-border mergers and acquisitions.  

Mr. Tovar Leopardi ‎is currently the Managing Partner of ‎Escritorio Tovar – Lange S.C.P. and ‎he is the CEO of ‎Iveco Group Venezuela, C.A. and Inversiones Popolis, ‎‎C.A.  Mr. Tovar Leopardi is also a director of ‎Corporación Digitel C.A., and ‎DP Delta Finance B.V. ‎‎(Netherlands).  

He holds a Law degree with a ‎‎specialization in Administrative Law from Universidad ‎Católica Andrés ‎Bello.  

Valentina Garbarini

Independent Director

Ms. Garbarini has more than 10 years of experience as ‎Finance Director at ‎the Cisneros Blavia Family Office ‎leading the finance and legal affairs ‎‎departments ‎internationally and focusing on the areas of ‎energy, ‎‎telecommunications and social responsibility.  ‎

She is ‎also a board member ‎of Corporación Digitel C.A., a ‎‎telecommunication company in Venezuela.  ‎She was a ‎‎board member of the Universidad Iberoamericana in ‎‎Bogotá, ‎ambassador of the Sino PLPE Federation in ‎‎Macao, of Fundación Unidos ‎en Red and of GEN ‎‎Global.  

Ms. Garbarini graduated cum laude in ‎‎Business ‎Management, Marketing and International ‎Studies from ‎‎Bentley ‎University in Boston, Massachusetts.

Committees of the Board of Directors

Audit Committee

  • Michael Hibberd
  • Francisco Diaz
  • Gustavo Gattass
  • Silvestre Tovar Leopardi

Compensation Committee

  • David Winter
  • Michael Hibberd
  • Valentina Garbarini

Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee

  • Silvestre Tovar Leopardi
  • Michael Hibberd
  • Francisco Diaz
  • Gustavo Gattass

Reserves Committee

  • David Winter
  • Charle Gamba
  • Gustavo Gattass

ESG Committee

  • David Winter
  • Francisco Diaz
  • Michael Hibberd
  • Valentina Garbarini