Our board members have held executive positions at various publicly listed companies in the UK and ensure that our operations are conducted in line with industry best practices. This allows Viaro Energy to maintain strong relationships across the UKCS energy space and a steadily growing performance record.
Chief Executive Officer
Francesco Mazzagatti
Francesco Mazzagatti is a self-made businessman and entrepreneur, who has been operating in the energy sector since 2012. With Viaro Energy, Mazzagatti decided to focus on long-term investments in the North Sea basin, and has since built an upstream brand with a broad portfolio of oil and gas assets in the UK and the Netherlands. As CEO, Mazzagatti has effectively spearheaded the growth of Viaro Energy and all its subsidiaries under his management, through a combination of diversification, acquisitions, and organic growth.
Since its first major acquisition of RockRose Energy in 2020, Viaro Energy has gone on to acquire the entire share capital of HALO BV and SSE E&P UK Limited, as well as Spark Exploration UK Limited’s assets in the West of Shetlands. In 2023, Mazzagatti negotiated a farm-in agreement with Hartshead Resources Ltd., for the majority working interest and operatorship of UK Southern North Sea gas assets. Under his leadership, Viaro Energy has grown into one of the main investors in the North Sea basin in less than 5 years.
Mazzagatti completed his Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility Studies at the London Business School and a Master of Business Administration program at the Buckinghamshire New University.
Francesco Dixit Dominus
Dixit Dominus is an international tax and IFRS specialist with a Master’s degree from the Milan Business School.
Chief Operating Officer
Jillian Owen
Jillian Owen serves as the Chief Operating Officer of Viaro Energy, bringing more than 25 years of experience in senior leadership roles across the oil and gas sector. She joined Viaro in March 2025 as Head of Transition to Operatorship, where she was instrumental in leading the integration of Shell and ExxonMobil’s Southern North Sea portfolio, one of the company’s most significant acquisitions to date. Her appointment as COO in August 2025 reflects both her track record of operational excellence and her commitment to guiding Viaro through its next phase of growth as a modern upstream operator.
Previously, Owen spent over a decade with Apache Corporation, including as UK Country Manager, where she oversaw late-life asset management, operational performance, and commercial optimisation across the North Sea. Earlier in her career, she held a variety of leadership roles in operations, asset management, and corporate strategy.
She has also contributed to the wider industry through her service on the board of Offshore Energies UK, helping to shape policy and advance the future of the UK North Sea energy sector.
Steve Jenkins
Jenkins has a Bachelor of Science in Geology from Queen’s University in Belfast, Ireland, as well as a Master of Science in Petroleum Geology from the Imperial College University of London, UK. He is a fellow of the Geological Society of London, UK.
Non-Executive Director
Orlando Vaca
Orlando Vaca joined Viaro Energy as a non-executive director in 2022, bringing on board a wide-ranging experience in leadership roles at international oil and service companies in the sector. Vaca is also the co-founder and president of Petrolog, a Bolivian-focused oil and gas company. Previously, Vaca served as general manager of Shell’s Bolivian operations, where he was responsible for the company’s strategy in the country. Vaca had also spent over 20 years in numerous roles at BG & Schlumberger, having worked in several countries in the Americas and the West African region.
Non-Executive Director
Lieutenant-General Sir Simon Mayall
Lieutenant General Sir Simon Mayall, KBE, CB, retired from a long and distinguished career in which he served in a variety of senior military and political advisory roles. Sir Mayall has considerable experience in the UK government, including legislation, geopolitical assessments, and protection of strategic infrastructure. Sir Mayall also maintains long-standing and strong relationships with the senior leadership across the Middle East. He began his career with the British Army in 1978 and held progressively senior roles until his retirement in 2015. Most recently, he had served as Deputy Chief of Defense Staff (Operations) between 2009 and 2011, Defense Senior Adviser (Middle East) between 2011 and 2014, and the Prime Minister’s Security Envoy to Iraq between 2014 and 2015.
OUR TEAM & VALUES
Along with core upstream operations, Viaro Energy has been strategically expanding across the energy spectrum. The company’s focus in this regard have been investments in the safe nuclear energy sector, including strategic partnerships with nuclear technology providers developing small modular reactors, and their application in the oil and gas industry to decarbonise existing infrastructure and advance the energy transition.