QUINTIN V. Kneen was appointed president and chief executive of Tidewater in September this year, following the resignation of John T Rynd.

Mr Kneen is taking control of the offshore supply vessel firm at a time when the entire sector continues to face challenges.

In November, when announcing the company’s third-quarter results, Mr Kneen underscored those challenges, saying Tidewater was determined to lead the offshore industry through the remainder of the recovery. 

"We have the industry’s leading balance sheet, which we are taking steps to enhance even further," he said.

"We have led the industry thus far in consolidation and we are preparing our infrastructure [and] capital structure to consolidate the industry even further.

"We will use the improving industry fundamental to get day rates back to where they need to be to properly compensate our capital providers and we will continue to lead the industry in recycling and capital discipline."

At the time of his appointment on September 4, Mr Kneen had been serving as executive vice-president and chief financial officer of Tidewater since the firm's November 2018 business combination with GulfMark Offshore. 

Prior to the combination, Mr Kneen was president, chief executive and a director of GulfMark. He has also served as vice-president, finance and investor relations, for Grant Prideco. Earlier, he held executive finance positions at Azurix Corp and was an audit manager with Price Waterhouse.

Mr Kneen, who holds an MBA from Rice University and a BBA in accounting from Texas A&M University, is a certified public accountant and a chartered financial analyst.

Tidewater continues to be considered the leading and most experienced provider of offshore support vessels in the global energy industry. More than 90% of its fleet works internationally in some 60 countries.

This is Mr Kneen’s first appearance in the Top 100. Tidewater appeared in the Top 100 in 2018.