Mike Backus is the current Upstream Chief Operating Officer for Kiwetinohk Energy Corp (KEC). He has over 25 years of experience in a variety of engineering, operational, finance and executive roles. Prior to joining KEC, Mike was a member of the executive team at Painted Pony Energy where he was responsible for the Development and Operations of the company prior to its corporate sale. Most of his career was spent with Nexen Inc. (now CNOOC International) where he was most recently the VP Operations for Canada and the UK North Sea businesses. Mike has held various positions during his career, including working both conventional and unconventional Canadian gas and power assets, oilsands, offshore North Sea, Middle East and West Africa. His career has spanned drilling and completions engineering, reservoir engineering and development, project management and planning, investor relations, corporate finance/treasury, operations, Health, Safety and Environment, and executive leadership. Mike holds both a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Accounting and a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering, both from the University of Saskatchewan. He is a registered Professional Engineering in Alberta. Mike has also held various industry association roles in both Canada and the UK.
Aside from his industry career, Mike has and currently holds director positions with a private company and a charitable organization.
