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About Us
Management Team
 
  • Francis P. McGuire
    Director, President & Chief Executive Officer
    Prior to joining Major Drilling in August 2000, Mr McGuire served as Vice President, Business Development of MITI Information Technology Inc. from 1998 to August 2000, identified by Profit magazine in 1999 as the fastest growing company in Atlantic Canada. Mr. McGuire has also served as Deputy Minister of the Department of Economic Development and Tourism of New Brunswick. Mr. McGuire holds a Masters of Arts in International Studies, Trade and Economics from Johns Hopkins University, a diploma in European Politics from the Institut d'Etudes Politiques in Paris and a Bachelor of Arts from Dalhousie University.
  • Denis Larocque
    Chief Financial Officer
    A Chartered Accountant with more than 20 years of experience, Mr. Larocque has been involved with public companies in the mining industry for more than 16 years. Through the period of geographic expansion for Major Drilling that saw it grow from a privately owned Canadian company to a publicly traded multinational with a presence on 6 continents, Mr. Larocque was involved in the acquisition and branch office setup in countries like Australia, Argentina, Chile, Tanzania, Mongolia and many more. He is also a director of Assumption Life Mutual, and Louisbourg Investments, an investment management and financial planning firm. Mr. Larocque holds a Bachelor of Business Administration, major in Accounting from Laval University.
  • Rob Newburn
    Executive Vice President - Australian, Asian and African Operations
    Mr. Newburn brings many years of drilling operation management experience to the position of Executive VP, Australian, Asian and African Operations. He was promoted to the position of VP, North American and African Operations after a successful stint managing the Townsville, Australia operation of Major Drilling, and then to his current position in April, 2010.
  • Kelly Johnson
    Vice President - Latin American Operations
    Mr. Johnson brings over 30 years experience in the drilling industry. He began his career in 1978 with Midwest Drilling where he was employed until its acquisition by Major Drilling in 1998. He has held numerous positions within the Major Drilling group including Global Inventory Manager, General Manager of Canadian Operations and his current position as Vice President Latin American Operations.
  • Denis Despres
    Vice President - North American Operations
    Mr. Despres got his start in the drilling industry in 1981, and has held various field and senior management positions in his career, including Vice President of drilling services for a global drilling company. Mr. Despres is a professional engineer (Ontario). He holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Lakehead University, and a master’s degree in business administration from Queen's University. Mr. Despres joined Major Drilling in February, 2010.
  • James A. Gibson
    Vice President - Legal Affairs, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary
    Mr. Gibson joined Major Drilling Group in 1995, having been engaged in the private practice of law for the previous eight years. Mr. Gibson holds a Bachelor of Science from Dalhousie University and a Bachelor of Law from the University of New Brunswick.
  • David Balser
    Vice President - Finance
    Mr. Balser obtained his Chartered Accounting designation in 1991. He joined the Major Drilling group in 2005, after 14 years of experience in public practice, manufacturing and construction industries. Mr. Balser holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Mount Allison University.