In this role, Mr Nairn will be responsible for managing Santos’s relationships with the broader investment community, to ensure that the company’s strategies, value drivers and results are understood by investors.

Mr Nairn is a finance and investor relations executive with global experience in the resources sector. He joins Santos from mining giant BHP Billiton, where he held senior finance and investor relations positions. His most recent position was as finance manager for BHP Billiton Petroleum’s UK production unit. Prior to that, he was BHP Billiton’s manager of investor relations.

John Ellice-Flint, Santos managing director, said: It is pleasing to secure someone of Mr Nairn’s caliber for this important executive role.