Sources say the new Tullow General Manager is Mr. Jimmy Mugerwa. A formal announcement by Tullow is expected soon. Tullow already has some senior Ugandans in its first tier managerial staff including the heads of legal, human resources and corporate affairs ( the face of the last one is also named Jimmy Kiberu). The search for a Ugandan head of the company has been on for a while. Its unclear when the process concluded or who the full list of individuals are who made the final list.

The announcement of Mr. Mugerwa’s ancension to the head of the company will be a first for the oil companies and will apply some pressure on the other two ( CNOOC and Total) who have varying stages of indigenization- a demand made by the government of Uganda. More seriously a look at not just leadership but the fanning out of investment to local companies will be the challenge for the three foreign oil companies. Tullow has for a long time by chaired at the board level by Mr. Elly Karuhanga who continues to advise the company’s Africa operations.

Until recently Mr. Mugerwa has been with Shell International and has exposure on the downstream side of the petroleum business. He has been the country head of Shell’s Kenya operations. More on this as the story develops. Here is Tullow’s official biography of him. Jimmy Mugerwa Biography