
Leadership
Industry-leading experts that provide energy-intensive industries with cost-effective solutions to decarbonize through carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS).
Our Team of Experts in Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage
Industry-leading experts that provide energy-intensive industries with cost-effective solutions to decarbonize through CCUS. Our team has the capability and capacity to be your partner of choice for delivering customized carbon solutions.
Executive Team & Founding Partners

Reg Manhas
CEO & Co-Founder
Reg is a veteran energy executive with an engineering and legal background and over twenty five years of global experience managing complex, above-ground risks. Having created and led external affairs functions in several multi-national corporations, Reg has a proven track record of building strategic partnerships with business, government, and community stakeholders and exercising global leadership on sustainability and governance issues.

Chris Sears
CFO
Chris is a financial and investment executive with prior experience as a partner at an energy- focused private equity sponsor, restructuring advisor and banker. His expertise spans subject matters such as institutional investor fundraising, business development, and sourcing and structuring capital at the corporate level and with project execution. He is a CFA charterholder.

Jay Kolb
Chief Legal Officer
Jay previously served as General Counsel, a role he held since Lapis’ inception. With extensive corporate and commercial experience in energy and infrastructure projects, he provides legal guidance for development, financing, and operational issues. As a partner at Baker Botts and Vinson & Elkins, he played key roles as a legal advisor to more than $35 billion of global transactions.

Rusty Desormeaux
Chief Operating Officer
Rusty is a highly accomplished operations executive bringing over 25 years of global expertise in the energy industry, encompassing both new energy and oil and gas. He has a proven track record in all facets of operations, including project development, asset management, drilling and completions, regulatory compliance, and safety management. Rusty’s extensive experience and strategic leadership drives operational excellence and innovation at Lapis Carbon Solutions.

Lee Groves
EVP Growth Strategy & Co-Founder
Employing over twenty years of global E&P experience, Lee is recognized for technical, commercial, and project leadership and has guided international multidisciplinary teams to industry-leading exploration success. Adept at navigating complex subsurface operations and commercial negotiations, he also provides a critical interface with stakeholders to ensure the delivery of Lapis’ strategic growth objectives.

Eric Leigh
Chief Commercial Officer
Eric has nearly two decades of experience in commodity trading and commercial midstream. Prior to assuming his current role in 2025, Eric was Lapis’ Vice President of Business Development. Before joining Lapis, he led business development and CCS origination activities for Navigator CO2 Ventures and previously held Vice President and Director-level roles with NGL Energy Partners LP. As Chief Commercial Officer, he is responsible for identifying customized solutions for emissions-intensive partners.

Jim Mullin
EVP, Utilization Strategy
Jim has more than 20 years of experience in CCUS, decarbonization, sustainability, and commodity risk management. He previously served as Lapis’ Vice President of Carbon Strategy. Before joining Lapis, he was Executive Director of Carbon Utilization at Navigator CO2 Ventures, where he was responsible for commercializing carbon utilization and stakeholder education. Jim previously led natural gas and electricity procurement, RNG project development, renewable energy, and energy efficiency solutions at JBS USA. He oversees our utilization services, where he connects emitters to utilization partners, allowing them to monetize carbon on shorter timelines.

Lauren Berry
VP Sustainability & External Affairs
Lauren has spent the last twenty years translating high-level corporate commitments into tangible community benefits. She has built high-performing teams and award-winning partnerships at companies including Ann Taylor, Chevron, and Kosmos Energy. At Lapis, Lauren is focused on securing the company’s social license to operate through transparent two-way engagement, rigorous impact management, and investment in local priorities.

Grant Everett
General Counsel
Grant joined Lapis Carbon Solutions in 2025. He has more than 15 years of legal experience across a range of focus areas, including corporate finance, private equity, corporate governance, securities, and mergers and acquisitions. Prior to joining the Lapis team, Grant was a partner at Baker Botts, where he focused on corporate law and was named one of the best lawyers in Dallas by D Magazine.

Stijn Konings
Chief Geoscientist & Co-Founder
As a world-class geophysical leader and subsurface project manager, Stijn brings over two decades of global experience in discovering and developing some of the largest gas fields found over the past ten years. At Lapis, he performs the critical role of managing subsurface reservoir risks and assuring the delivery of class VI permits for CCS projects.

Derek Folger
VP Commercial & Co-Founder
Derek brings almost twenty years of new ventures and exploration excellence, with extensive experience providing domestic and international growth through high-quality access strategies. He delivers innovative business models integral to screen, high grade and support development of Lapis’ best-in-class portfolio of CCS opportunities.

Terry Wiseman
VP New Ventures & Co-Founder
With more than twenty-five years of senior technical leadership in the energy industry, Terry has delivered significant economic value at the front end of business creation. He identifies and secures the best subsurface sequestration sites, keeping commercial execution in mind, enabling the growth of Lapis’ portfolio of full-cycle, high-value CCS projects.
Board Members

Brian Maxted
Chairman & Co-Founder
Brian is a proven oil and gas explorer, private equity entrepreneur and public company leader in the upstream E&P business, with a global track record of significant discoveries over forty years. He served as a founding partner, former director and CEO of Kosmos Energy and before that, held various exploration leadership roles for Triton Energy and Hess Corporation.

Chris Rozzell
Director
Before co-founding Cresta in 2016, Chris served as the CEO of Wildcat Midstream Holdings and Executive VP and Chief Commercial Officer of Regency Energy Partners. He has over twenty years of investment and operating experience in the infrastructure industry and serves on the boards of Easton Energy, Lapis Carbon Solutions and Braya Fuels.

Drew Armstrong
Director
Drew has over fifteen years of finance and acquisitions experience in the infrastructure industry, co-founding Cresta in 2016. Before Cresta, Drew served as the CFO of Wildcat Midstream Holdings and oversaw M&A activity for Regency Energy Partners. He currently serves as Director of Easton Energy, Blackbuck Resources, Sentinel Midstream and Lapis Carbon Solutions.

Mitchell Sparks
Director
Mitchell joined Cresta in 2020, where he works as a Vice President focused on transaction analysis, deal execution and portfolio monitoring. Previously, he was an investment banking analyst with Macquarie’s Infrastructure & Energy Group in Houston, TX. Prior to Macquarie, Mitchell worked in various engineering roles at Devon Energy.

Reg Manhas
Director & Co-Founder
Reg is a veteran energy executive with an engineering and legal background and over twenty five years of global experience managing complex, above-ground risks. Having created and led external affairs functions in several multi-national corporations, Reg has a proven track record of building strategic partnerships with business, government and community stakeholders and exercising global leadership on sustainability and governance issues.

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