NextDecade's Eisbrenner to Join Exmar

Belgian shipowner Exmar said May 15 it has nominated Kathleen Eisbrenner to be an independent director on its board.

In 2010 she co-founded NextDecade, which plans to develop a 27mn mt/yr Rio Grande LNG export complex at Brownsville in south Texas plus a potential import project at the Port of Cork in southern Ireland. She was succeeded as its CEO by Matthew K. Schatzman on February 1 2018 but remains on NextDecade's board.

Exmar said its chief operating officer Patrick De Brabandere, and its independent director the retired US ambassador to Belgium Howard Gutman, indicated they will step down from Exmar's board at the end of their existing terms. De Brabandere will remain COO for the time being. Once Gutman steps down, Exmar said he will serve as a consultant for Exmar, a role he fulfils also for other Belgian and US firms.

Separately, NextDecade last month announced it had opened offices in Singapore and Beijing and had appointed James MacTaggart as its senior vice president, LNG Marketing Asia, effective April 23. He served for more than 20 years with Shell in various marketing and trading positions, most recently as general manager of Shell’s new gas and LNG markets business in Asia, India, and the Middle East. 

Kathleen Eisbrenner (Photo credit: NextDecade) 

James MacTaggart (Photo credit: NextDecade)