Leadership Team
Mr. Baay has over 25 years of experience leading oil and gas exploration and production companies and is currently the President and Chief Executive Officer of Touchstone Exploration Inc. Mr. Baay established Touchstone Energy Inc. and was the former Chair of the Board and Chief Executive Officer from July 2010 to May 2014. Prior thereto, Mr. Baay was Managing Director of Abacus Energy, part of Abacus Private Equity from 2007 through 2010 and was a Senior Officer of True Energy Inc. from 2000 through 2007. From 2005 to 2012 he was the Chair of the Board of Directors of Vero Energy Inc. From 1998 to 2000 he was the Chair of the Board of Directors of Request Seismic Surveys Ltd. and served as President, Chief Executive Officer, and director of Remington Energy Ltd. from 1991 to 1999.
Mr. Baay serves as a board member of Southern Energy Corp. since June 2022 and is Chair of the Board of Directors of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts. Mr. Baay was a member of the Board of Trustees of the National Art Gallery of Canada from June 2006 to December 2022. He is a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors and is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario, with a BA in administrative and commercial studies.
Mr. Budau joined Touchstone Exploration Inc. in 2011 as the Manager of Financial reporting and in 2012 Mr. Budau was promoted to Chief Financial Officer. Prior to joining Touchstone Mr. Budau was a Corporate Accountant at Cathedral Energy Services Ltd. from 2009 to 2011 and the Controller at Rare Method Interactive Inc. in 2008. Mr. Budau received his honours bachelor of commerce degree from McMaster University in 2002 and received his Chartered Accountants designation in 2005.
Mr. Shipka is a geologist with 20 years of energy industry experience in exploration and development geology and business. Most recently, he was Asset Team Manager at Daylight Energy Ltd. where he focused on development of mature assets through emerging drilling and completion technologies as well as the identification and exploitation of undeveloped horizons within mature fields.