Management Team

Petris is comprised of experienced Oil & Gas and technology professionals with expertise in engineering, geology, geophysics, drilling, finance, mergers and acquisitions, state and federal regulations and GIS. A seasoned management team, drawn from these industries, provides leadership and direction to the business.

James W. Pritchett, President and Chief Executive Officer

Jim Pritchett has led Petris as CEO since 1998 through a period of strong organic growth and timely acquisitions to its current position as one of the fastest growing software companies in the Exploration & Production and Pipeline markets. He has more than twenty five years of experience in high technology consulting, marketing, and general business management working for such companies as IBM, Trinity Computing Systems, DuPont Information Systems, Atec, and Insource Management Group. He is a high-tech entrepreneur who has been involved in the founding or expansion of a half dozen ventures in the oil and gas and healthcare industries including Trinity which was twice listed by Inc. Magazine as one of America's fastest growing privately held companies. Jim holds a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Texas at Austin.

Jeffrey W. Pferd, Senior Vice President, Development and Product Planning

Jeff Pferd is responsible for Product Planning and Management at Petris. He and individual product specialists are responsible for setting the direction of all Petris products and services. A geologist by training, Jeff has over twenty-five years of experience in the application of high technology systems, software, and processes in the oil and gas industry, with extensive background in the development, implementation, and management of technical computer applications for the petroleum industry. Jeff's previous industry experience includes senior positions at UNOCAL where he was Supervisor of E&P Application Development and Manager of Computing for UNOCAL's upstream business division. Prior to joining Petris, Jeff was with Insource Management Group (IMG), a Houston-based software and re-engineering consulting firm. Jeff has a Bachelor of Arts in Geology from Johns Hopkins University, a Master of Science from the University of Georgia, and a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Massachusetts.

Tim Burkett, CFO, Finance & Administration

Tim Burkett is responsible for the financial, accounting and general administration of Petris, as well as the business processes of the Data Operations department. Tim has over eighteen years of corporate finance, accounting and operations experience. Before joining Petris, Tim was with Digital Imaging Technologies, Inc. (DITI) where he was responsible for the company's financial and general administration. Tim held similar positions in both operations and corporate finance, with Perceptive Scientific Instruments, Inc., DuPont Information Systems, and Trinity Computing. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from the University of Texas at Austin and is a Certified Public Accountant.

David A Archer, Vice President

Dr. David Archer is responsible for product management and expanding the scope and presence of Petris through industry alliances. David has been involved with the development and production of a broad range of energy-related software systems including seismic interpretation, reservoir simulation and visualization, well-testing and nodal analysis and real-time predictive modelling of pipeline networks. He was President and CEO of POSC (Petrotechnical Open Standards Consortium) from 1997 to 2005. In this role, he was the leader of the consortium and was responsible for the consortium’s direction, operation and communication with both the POSC Community and the industry at large.

A native Texan, David holds MA and PhD degrees in Mathematical Sciences from Rice University as well as a BS degree in Mathematics from TCU. He is a frequent organizer, moderator and speaker at industry conferences and symposia.

Simon Brock-Gunn, Vice President, Customer Support, Education and QA

Simon Brock-Gunn is responsible for Customer Support, Quality Assurance and Education at Petris. A mathematician and computer scientist by training, his experience in software development covers more than a decade in the oil and gas industry, together with earlier work in the pharmaceuticals and defense industries. During Simon’s time at Petris, he has worked in many different functional areas, including software development, technical sales support, consultancy and database integration. His focus is now on ensuring that Petris customers receive quality products and services, and the resources to use them most effectively. Simon holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from The City University, London. ...

H.Rene Calderon, Vice President, Services and Delivery

H.Rene Calderon Jr is responsible for the professional services, delivery of products and support of those products for Petris Technology. He has over twenty five years of experience in the oil and gas industry. While responsible for IT at J.M. Huber’s Oil and Gas division, he designed an integrated joint interest accounting and billing system and coordinated the first IBM install of the Excalibur system. Rene earned his Bachelor of Science from Boston University School of Management.

Eric Déliac, President, Eastern Hemisphere

Eric Déliac is responsible for expanding the reach of Petris' software and services to the Europe-Africa-Middle East-Asia community. Eric has over two decades of experience in the oil and gas industry. As vice president of research and development for Elf Exploration and Production, he was instrumental in developing the company's technology in various areas like deep and ultra-deep offshore E&P, which led to the successful development of major discoveries in West Africa. In 1997, Eric joined Compagnie Générale de Géophysique as an executive vice president responsible for the Software, Data Management and Reservoir divisions. He later became president and COO of GeoNet Services. A graduate of Ecole Polytechnique (Paris) and the Paris School of Mines, Eric later earned a Doctorate in Rock Physics from the Paris University.

Michael Henry, Vice President, eMarket Development

Mickey Henry is responsible for managing Petris’ Software as a Service business, which in cludes PetrisWINDS Now and PetrisWINDS Interent Data Room products. Mickey previously served as President of SkyVision, Inc., an aerial imaging and GIS services company, which he co-founded in 1989. Petris purchased SkyVision, Inc. in 1999 to provide imagery and GIS solutions for the energy and resource management industries. Prior to forming SkyVision, he worked for nine years with First City National Bank of Houston and The Inverness Group in Houston, where he was involved in commercial banking and investment banking. Mickey earned a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts in Psychology from Southern Methodist University and also received a Master of Business Administration in Accounting and Finance from the University of Texas.

Buddy Rhodes, Vice President Sales – North America

Buddy Rhodes joined Petris as VP of Sales in 2003. His professional experience includes Chief Executive Officer and business owner experience with a variety of start-up, growth and business development companies. Buddy has more than 25 years of hands-on experience with operation and sales management, executive training and business development. His diversified business ownership, sales management and training experience has provided his clients with a wealth of technical, creative, administrative and sales knowledge. From his experience in long term sales development, he has developed unique relationship selling strategies that have simplified sales for his clients. He has also set up sales management teams and helped his clients identify the components in their sales process that were critical to their success. Buddy is a student of History and Political Science and has a BS in Education degree from Southwest Texas State University.

John Yurkanin, Vice President, Western Hemisphere

John is in charge of leading our Western Hemisphere Operations group. He oversees the sales and delivery of Petris’ solutions in the Western Hemisphere. John has more than thirty years of experience in the energy industry and with technology solutions that serve the industry. He has been involved with global activities in all areas of management including upstream development, midstream operations, trading, acquisitions, and strategic business consulting. He had a lengthy career with BP, A.T. Kearney , LG&E Energy Trading, as well as served as CEO for two solutions providers; APX and most recently Production Access. John holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from the University of Cincinnati, a MBA from Xavier University and an advanced business program certificate from Dartmouth’s Tuck School.