organization

Leadership Team

CRAIG T. CASTILLE

MANAGING DIRECTOR

Craig T. Castille is Managing Director of HWCG LLC. He has over 30 years of experience in offshore rig operations involving drilling, completions, well testing and abandonments on platform rigs, jack ups and floaters. Having gained both international and diverse experience since graduating in petroleum engineering from the University of Louisiana in 1985, Craig's experience includes; Oil & Gas Exploration, Exploitation and Development, Subsea Operations, Offshore Mining, Logistics & Construction at a Copper & Gold Mine and participation in industry advocacy groups such as the American Petroleum Institute (API), Offshore Operators Committee (OOC) and American Association of Drilling Engineers (AADE). Craig concluded his over 7-year tenure at Stone Energy having successfully worked on the API Joint Industry Task Force (JITF) post Macondo, helped create Stone's SEMS Program, drilled and completed 6 deepwater wells, project managed re-engineering on the Completion, Workover & Riser System (CWOR) for the Pompano Phase II Wells, participated in two unannounced containment drills as the Source Control Section Chief (SCSC) and helped design, plan and implement two announced containment drills.

MITCH GUINN

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR

As HWCG's Technical Director, Mitch Guinn coordinates all technical and operations initiatives, requests and solutions along with managing the execution of HWCG’s projects. He is the primary technical and operations interface with regulatory agencies for deep-water well containment. Prior to joining HWCG, Mitch spent most of his career as a consultant for deepwater drilling and completion teams with several major oil & gas operators, last serving over 5 years with ExxonMobil’s former Drilling Technical Group. He is the author of multiple patents for subsea related equipment and has been recognized internationally for his technical accomplishments in several areas of design and operations support. He was heavily involved in the initial response to the Deepwater Horizon Incident and in the subsequent design process for many of the current capping stack designs. Mitch also continues to serve on the Well Response and Source Control Subcommittee sponsored by the IOGP and as a member of the API RP 17W sub-committee.

STEVE SCANIO

MAINTENANCE MANAGER

Steve Scanio is HWCG’s Maintenance Manager and is responsible for ensuring that all response equipment owned by HWCG, and its response providers is ready to mobilize and function as intended. Steve has had a diverse 32-year career in the offshore oil and gas industry. His career began with the American Bureau of Shipping working in the offshore engineering department evaluating Stability and Safety aspects of MODUs. He continued his career at Technip working on various Spar and MODU projects focusing on hull and marine system regulatory compliance, design, installation and commissioning. He then joined Helix Energy Solutions to develop a regulatory compliance scheme for the Helix Producer 1 (HP1) FPU, which was the first of its kind in the GoM. Steve served on the HP1 project from design through first oil and continued his involvement as Marine Manager focusing on vessel operations. During the Deepwater Horizon incident in 2010, Steve contributed to Helix Energy Solutions’ response efforts and was involved in the development of Helix’s spill response solution leading up to the formation of HWCG. He worked closely with HWCG for 13 years as Director of the Helix Deepwater Containment System, managing the interfaces between HWCG-owned equipment and the suite of response-related equipment offered by Helix. Steve also has his P.E. Certification.

ERIK BRISTOL

PROJECT MANAGER

Erik Bristol is a Project Manager at HWCG LLC. He has over 24 years’ experience primarily in the design, manufacturing, and installation of Subsea Production and Intervention Equipment. Erik’s experience began with TechnipFMC from 1997 to 2008, then he joined the Subsea Team at Cobalt International Energy from 2008 to 2017. At Cobalt International Energy, he led Subsea Installations and Intervention in the GOM and Angola, and then took on the role of Subsea Well Response Leader for Cobalt where he managed the development of the first 15K capping equipment and procedures as a secondee to HWCG and Trendsetter. This effort led Cobalt to be one of the first operators in the GOM to gain a permit to drill post Macondo. Erik went on to join TotalEnergies supporting the 20K North Platte project as D & C Interventions Lead where he led the selection of a 20K Intervention Workover Riser System and In-Riser Simplified landing string. Erik then moved to TotalEnergies’ Mozambique LNG Project where he was responsible for onshore and offshore execution of the Subsea Infrastructure including planning new well tie-ins, MEG injection to Production wells, and planned and unplanned interventions. He completed his TotalEnergies career at Headquarters in Paris France as Subsea Segment Leader in 2023, prior to joining HWCG in January 2023.

ANITA LEE

BUSINESS MANAGER

Anita Lee joined HWCG in 2016 after being employed by a major offshore drilling contractor located in the USA for six years. Anita gained valuable experience working for the procurement and human resource department with a focus on training. As HWCG’s Business Manager, she is responsible for managing office services, procurement activities, and HWCG’s management systems such as but not limited to the following: 1) HWCG’s Information Management Portal (IMP), a delivery system for company business to both members and Response Providers; 2) HWCG’s Safety Management System (a.k.a. HWCG SEMS) which includes training development, compliance, audits, and Management of Change (MOC); 3) accounting functions inclusive of invoicing members and processing invoices for payment; and 4) collaborates with risk management services to place HWCG’s insurance and ensure members and contractor insurance remains compliant. The HWCG Business Manager is the primary contact for routine business matters with HWCG’s Members, Committees, and Response Providers.

TRAVIS WARDEN

PREPAREDNESS & COMPLIANCE MANAGER

Travis Warden, a Maritime Academy Graduate from Texas A&M University at Galveston, brings over 15 years of unparalleled Health and Safety leadership experience. Beginning as a Ballast Control Operator, Travis quickly advanced his license and served as a Senior Dynamic Positioning Operator for Diamond Offshore's Ocean Confidence. Travis then transitioned to shore-based leadership roles, serving as the Environmental Manager for Diamond Offshore and later as the Director of Global Health, Safety, and Environment at Paragon Offshore. Travis has designed, implemented, and sustained top-tier safety programs for industry leaders like Exterran and Enbridge Pipelines. Certifications including Certified Safety Professional (CSP), Certified Hazardous Materials Manager (CHMM), and Registered Environmental Manager (REM) evidence his expertise. Travis has contributed significantly to organizations like the American Petroleum Institute (API), the International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC), the Center for Offshore Safety (COS), and the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA). Travis is a native Houstonian who prioritizes his family and community; he is successfully pursuing his MBA degree.

EXECUTIVE BOARD

CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD

PROVIDED BY BOE EXPLORATION & PRODUCTION, LLC

VICE CHAIRMAN

PROVIDED BY TALOS ERT LLC

MEMBERS AT LARGE

• Kosmos Energy Gulf of Mexico Operations, LLC
• LLOG Exploration Company, LLC
• ENI US Operating Co. Inc
• W&T Offshore, Inc.
• Murphy Exploration & Production Company - USA