UK Shale Gas Firm Cuadrilla Appoints New Chairman

British shale gas company Cuadrilla Resources has appointed board member Roy Franklin as chairman with immediate effect, the firm said on Wednesday.

Franklin will replace former BP boss John Browne who is now chairman of LetterOne, the investment vehicle owned by Russian billionnaire Mikhail Fridman that bought RWE's DEA oil and gas unit last month.

Franklin's career has also included working at BP, where he headed up the exploration unit's acquisition and divestitures group. He has had a seat on the board of Cuadrilla since 2012.

Cuadrilla is one of Britain's main shale gas explorers and has the backing of energy company Centrica (CPYYY) which has a stake in one of Cuadrilla's shale gas exploration areas.

Reporting by Karolin Schaps