Francis has over 30 years of diverse international experience working in engineering and management roles in the upstream oil and gas industry. Prior to joining Cuadrilla, Francis worked in Houston, Texas as President of Production for BHP Billiton Petroleum. He also held management roles at BHP in Algeria, Pakistan, UK and Australia. Prior to joining BHP Billiton, Francis spent eight years with Marathon Oil in a variety of engineering and commercial roles. He was educated in Ireland, obtaining a BE Civil Degree with First Class Honours and a Master of Engineering Science Degree. He spent time as a PhD Student and research assistant at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Los Angeles and also holds a MBA from the University of Warwick.