Tributes pour in for 'inspirational' North Sea dealmaker Phil Kirk

Glowing tributes have been pouring in for Phil Kirk, former chief executive of North Sea player Chrysaor, who has died at the age of 59 after a short illness.

Kirk became one of the most high-profile figures in the UK North Sea scene after transforming privately-owned Chrysaor into a top player in a region that was then a dynamic E&P play.

Upstream remembers him as being humble, down-to-earth and personable, always happy to chat, exchanging the gossip of the day. We — and others, it seems — affectionately referred to him as 'Captain Kirk,' a nod to Star Trek's energising skipper of the Starship Enterprise.

Kirk founded Chrysaor in 2007. Ten years later, back by private equity, the company went on a North Sea spending spree, buying assets worth $6.5 billion from Shell and ConocoPhillips as the big oil companies trimmed their mature portfolios.

He remained chief executive of Chrysaor until it was listed in 2021 after carrying out a reverse takeover of Premier Oil, taking on the Harbour Energy name, when Linda Cook became chief executive.

Kirk was also, with his brother, co-owner of Chesterfield Football Club in England which announced in March that he had been diagnosed with “inoperable cancer”.

The club notified its supporters about his death earlier this week, since when Chesterfield's fans have sent in messages, mourning his passing, as have many friends in the oil and gas world

Mark Routh, chief executive of Prospex, who worked closely with Kirk for years, was one of many to post tributes on LinkedIn.

“Phil had the very rare gift of being an inspirational leader, an entrepreneur and a devastatingly successful businessman whilst always treating everyone he met in all walks of life as someone who mattered — always remembering their names and able to chat to anyone,” wrote Routh.

“His honesty and integrity defined him as a person, qualities he carried through to everything he did as businessman and through to his friends and most importantly to his family.”

Francis Gugen, well-known from his years at Hess in the 1990s also worked closely with Kirk, describing him as “a special person who managed to maintain his humanity and warmth whilst also being a successful entrepreneur - a rare combination”.

'Leader and visionary'

In 2002, Routh, Gugen and Kirk — all former Hess executives — established CH4 Energy, backed by 3i, to buy UK southern basin gas assets.

Andrew Osborne, chief financial officer at Chrysaor from 2012 to 2021, described Kirk as “an inspirational leader and visionary who had such a positive impact on so many peoples' lives”.

“He was the most amazing person I have ever worked with and it was a privilege to call him my friend. A huge loss to his family and anyone who knew him. Goodbye pal.”

Andy Samuel, former chief executive of the North Sea Transition Authority, said: “Phil was a joy to work with, great fun and an inspirational leader,” while Tom Hickey, previously a chief financial officer at Tullow Oil, remarked that he “left a deep impression on all who met him”.

Patrick Handley, partner at Brunswick Group, said Kirk was “one of the very few people I have known who set out to tackle 'the big stuff', not just building a great business but energy security, employment in deprived communities, the UK’s industrial base. We are all the less without him, for both his work and the example he set”.

Robin Allan, chairman of industry association Brindex, said Kirk “achieved so much, all the while remaining one of the nice guys”.

John Rigby, Eni's head of investor relations and strategic analysis, and previously a well-known oil and gas analyst, said he was “privileged to call him a friend for over 30 years since we first worked together in the early '90s”.

He highlighted how the comments on LinkedIn “really capture how highly people thought of Phil and the impact he had on them and reflect what a special guy he was”.

John O'Sullivan, previously with Irish explorer Providence Resources and now at dCarbonX, recalled working with Kirk on a joint project offshore Ireland, remembering that there was “always a smile on his face and deal to be done — he managed to keep us Irish on our toes; he was always Captain Kirk to us!”