Offshore drilling contractor Seadrill Ltd., Houston, announced Thursday that Samir Ali has been appointed president and chief executive officer, succeeding Simon Johnson effective immediately.
Ali most recently served as the company's executive vice president and chief commercial officer. He has held that role since August 2022.
Julie J. Robertson, chair of the board at Seadrill, said in a statement, “The board is confident that Samir is the right leader to guide Seadrill forward. Since joining the company, he has demonstrated strong leadership, deep industry knowledge, and a clear commitment to operational excellence. We look forward to working closely with him as Seadrill continues to build on its strong foundation. I stand ready to provide Samir whatever support he needs as he makes this transition to CEO.”
Before joining Seadrill, Ali worked at Diamond Offshore Drilling Inc., Houston, where he most recently served as vice president of investor relations and corporate development. Earlier in his career, he was a debt and equity investment portfolio manager at Bain Capital LP, Boston, and an investment banker at Simmons & Co. International Ltd., Houston.
Johnson was president and CEO of Seadrill since March 2022. He previously held leadership roles at Borr Drilling Ltd., Noble Corp., and Diamond Offshore.
According to the Seadrill website, the company's fleet consists of 12 drillships, four semisubmersible drilling rigs, and one jack-up drilling rig. The company's contract backlog was approximately $2.5 billion as of Feb. 25.
