About Dr Samantha Meehan

Dr Samantha Meehan is a Non-Executive Director and strategic advisor with more than twenty years of leadership across natural resources industry.

A PhD qualified geologist with deep commercial and governance experience, Dr Meehan’s career has spanned Australia, Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, Europe, the Americas and the Caribbean, bringing a truely global perspective to boards who are navigating geopolitical complexity and uncertainty across value chains.

Dr Meehan is based in Melbourne, Australia and Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada and currently serves on a board in the Caribbean.

Career Overview

Beginning her career as a geologist and hydrogeologist in environmental consulting to mining, petrochemical and agricultural sectors, she later joined Shell, where she spent over 20 years in technical, commercial and governance roles across upstream, midstream and downstream businesses.

She has worked across the full asset lifecycle — from opportunity identification and exploration through development, construction, operations and decommissioning — in both onshore and offshore environments, across the arctic and tropics.

Her experience includes oversight of portfolios and projects valued up to US$50 billion, leadership of multi-disciplinary teams, and collaboration with global partners such as bp, Lightsourcebp, Chinese National Petroleum Company (CNPC), Chinese National Overseas Oil Company (CNOOC), Tokyo Gas, Mitsui, Mitsubishi, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Maersk and multiple government-owned entities.

She has agriculture experience via family farming operations: Gippsland, Australia (Merino Sheep / Wool) and Saskatchewan, Canada (grain: canola, wheat, oats) including practical experience in production and sales of commodities and understanding international value chains..

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Board & Governance Experience

Independent oversight, complex environments

Samantha has served as a director and shareholder representative on multiple joint venture boards and industry committees spanning oil, gas, power, renewables and emerging low-carbon value chains.

Her governance responsibilities have included:

  • Oversight of operational and commercial performance

  • Capital allocation, portfolio optimisation and major investment decisions

  • HSSE, environmental and social performance

  • Crisis management and incident leadership (Fatalities; HiPo Asset & Safety incidents)

  • Risk, assurance and regulatory engagement

  • Stakeholder and community engagement, including governments, NGOs, lenders and Indigenous groups

She has contributed to decarbonisation taskforces and industry groups focused on energy security, economic diversification, hydrogen value chains and carbon markets in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Global footprint

Experience across diverse jurisdictions and operating environments

Samantha has lived and worked in Australia, Russia, the Netherlands, the UK, Canada and Trinidad & Tobago, with oversight and/or executive leadership of business opportunities in:

  • Asia-Pacific including Australia, China, India, Philippines

  • West Africa including Ghana, Namibia, South Africa

  • Caribbean and South America including Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago, Uruguay, Venezuela

  • Europe including Greenland, Denmark, Ukraine, France, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and the United Kingdom

  • Central Eurasia including Kazakhstan and Russia

This breadth allows Hawksburn Advisory to support organisations navigating cross-border governance, geopolitical complexity and volatility, regulatory diversity and multi-partner alignment.

Academic & Professional Credentials

  • Doctoral research into contaminated land and groundwater analysis, remediation, land and receptor management (flora, fauna and societal impacts).

    PhD Thesis: "The fate of cyanide in groundwater at gasworks sites in south eastern Australia”: URI: https://hdl.handle.net/11343/38772

  • Awarded top of 4th year Honours for earth sciences (structure and metamorphic geology; economic geology) and earth, climate and environmental systems.

    Thomas Medal winner for Victoria’s best Honours Thesis, awarded by the Geological Society of Australia (Victorian Division).

  • Committed to contemporary governance practices and director responsibilities within the Australian and international context.

  • Engaged in Canadian corporate governance community and committed to contemporary governance practices and director responsibilities across western Canadia.

  • Driving best in class contracts and agreements through this industry association; member of the Hydrogen and Nuclear Agreements working groups.

  • The Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce represents the Saskatchewan business community, advocating on behalf of all sizes of businesses, local chambers of commerce, and professional associations.

  • Since its inception in 1887, the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade has been recognized as Western Canada's leading business association, engaging our members to inform public policy at all levels of government and empowering them to succeed and prosper in the global economy.

  • Industry representative speaker on the energy industry, energy transition and leadership for undergraduate and MBA audiences.

  • As an Honorary Enterprise Fellow, provided guidance to the Faculty staff for curriculum for continuing professional education programs.