Upland Resources Limited, the oil and gas company focused on opportunities in Southeast Asia, is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr Ngakan Alit Ascaria, Ph.D. as Technical Committee Member to the Company with immediate effect.
Dr Ascaria is a highly accomplished petroleum geoscientist with more than 35 years of experience in exploration, regional basin analysis, carbonate reservoir characterisation and new venture development across Southeast Asia and internationally. His expertise includes play-based exploration, petroleum systems analysis, prospect generation and maturation, static reservoir modelling, and block acquisition evaluation.
He currently serves as a senior geoscience adviser to Indonesia's Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) and SKK Migas, where he contributes to national exploration acceleration initiatives and the technical review of prospective oil and gas blocks for upcoming licensing rounds. As part of government-appointed study teams, he has authored and co-authored comprehensive regional exploration reports covering frontier, deep-water and mature basins across Eastern and Western Indonesia, including the Natuna, Makassar Strait, Sumatra and Papua regions.
Dr Ascaria is also a Senior Lecturer at Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB), where he teaches seismic interpretation, carbonate sedimentology and reservoir modelling. He has supervised and advised over one hundred postgraduate research projects and has acted as co-promotor for doctoral dissertations in petroleum geology and reservoir characterisation.
During his industry career, Dr Ascaria has held senior technical and leadership roles with several international and national energy companies, including:
- Repsol - Exploration Adviser
- Talisman Energy - Exploration Manager, New Ventures & Business Development
- Premier Oil - New Venture Manager
- Pertamina E&P - Senior Geoscientist & Team Leader
- Conoco Indonesia Inc - Regional Geologist
- BP Indonesia - Geologist
Throughout his career he has contributed to multiple oil and gas discoveries, including both clastic and carbonate plays, and has led basin-scale evaluations and prospect rankings across Indonesia, Malaysia, Sarawak, Vietnam and the broader Southeast Asia region. His experience spans both conventional and non-conventional plays, fracture basement reservoirs, and deep-water carbonate systems.
Dr Ascaria holds a Ph.D. in Geology and an MPhil in Petroleum Geoscience from University College London, United Kingdom. He is widely recognised as a carbonate reservoir specialist, with numerous peer-reviewed publications and conference papers presented at Indonesian Petroleum Association (IPA), EAGE and international industry forums. He was awarded Geoscientist of the Year by Pertamina in 2000.
The Board believes that Dr Ascaria's deep technical expertise, extensive regional knowledge and experience working at both operator and government advisory level will significantly enhance the Company's technical capabilities as it advances its strategic objectives in Southeast Asia.
Board Statement
Bolhassan Di, Chairman and CEO of Upland Resources Limited, commented:
"We are delighted to welcome Dr Ascaria to Upland Resources. His exceptional depth of experience in Southeast Asian petroleum systems, carbonate reservoirs in Aceh, and new venture evaluation materially strengthens our technical capability. His regional insight and strategic understanding of basin dynamics will be invaluable as we continue to evaluate and progress opportunities."
Dr Ascaria commented:
"I am pleased to join Upland Resources as Technical Committee Member at this important stage in its development. I look forward to contributing my experience in regional basin evaluation, prospect maturation and carbonate reservoir characterisation to support the Company's strategic growth in Southeast Asia.
Furthermore, I look forward to working closely with Dr Razak Damit and Prof Andrew Hurst as we advance the Company's technical objectives and unlock further value across the portfolio."
The Board confirms that no further disclosures are required in relation to this appointment under the UK Listing Rules or the Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules.