DEA Deutsche Erdoel AG named Maria Moraeus Hanssen as its new CEO and Chairman of the Management Board, the company announced.

Hanssen will take over management of the company from Thomas Rappuhn, the current CEO. The appointment will take effect in January 2018.

She is currently the CEO of ENGIE E&P and Head of the Business Unit E&P in the ENGIE Group, according to ENGIE.

In this role, she manages production of more than 160,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day and oversees 1,700 employees.

Hanssen has extensive oil and gas industry experience, having worked for Hydro ASA, Statoil ASA, and Aker ASA.

“We are delighted that Maria has chosen to join DEA. She is ideally suited to lead DEA in the next phase of its development and growth. Our ambition is to build a safe, sustainably growing energy company, which is recognized as a partner of choice. Maria brings a commercial mind-set, financial and strategic insight along with an impressive technical background. She has a proven track record of leading and transforming organizations,” stated the Chairman of DEA’s Supervisory Board and Executive Chairman of L1 Energy, Lord Browne.

DEA Group operates in Egypt. It signed an agreement with BP in March 2015 for projects in the West Nile Delta.