Our Team

Gary is one of the principals at Cabra Consulting Ltd. where he holds the position of President. His duties include managing operations for over 70+ geologists from a variety of diverse backgrounds.

Gary’s geological career included 10 years in the field as a wellsite geologist in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin (WCSB) and several years in the mining industry.

He has also held positions in research and development, product management and technical sales with several major companies.

Gary holds a Bachelor of Earth Science from The Memorial University of Newfoundland and is a member of APEGA (AB & SK) and CSPG.

Mike Bodnar, B.Sc.

VICE PRESIDENT/GEOSTEERING MANAGER

Mike has 12 years of industry experience in oil and gas. He started with Cabra Consulting Ltd. in June of 2012 as a wellsite consultant and has remained with the company ever since.

Most recently, Mike has taken on the role of Vice President and Geosteering Manager, overseeing on-site and remote operations. Mike holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of British Columbia and is a member of APEGA, CSPG and CWLS.

Brett Montague, B.Sc.

AI / MACHINE LEARNING SCIENTIST

Brett started with Cabra Consulting Ltd. in the winter of 2010 as a wellsite consultant.

Alongside his Geology B.Sc., he is a trained data scientist and machine learning engineer and is the founder at AI Geoscience.

He has partnered with Cabra to leverage data science and machine learning to help achieve greater insight, efficiency and improved drilling results for Cabra’s clients.

Brett has a background in Python, R and C#, is a Kaggle Competitions Expert, and is an active contributor to the Calgary machine learning and artificial intelligence communities.

Tracy Theunissen, B.Sc., P.Geol.

Geoscience Manager

Tracy has 10+ years of geology experience in the oil & gas industry in Western
Canada. She started with Cabra in 2013 as a consulting geologist. Her role initially
focused on detailed report review and editing to ensure clients and regulators
received technically proficient data. Over the years her role has expanded to include
data management, operations, business development and sales.

Tracy graduated from the University of Calgary with B.Sc. Geology and is a member of
APEGA and CSPG.

Nicole Renella

Manager of Strategic Initiatives

Nicole is a Geologist with a background in geo-engineering and environmental compliance and logistics. She received her undergraduate degree in Geology from San Bernadino, California and is currently working on her Master’s in petroleum engineering from North Dakota State University. Nicole has experience with streamlining processes, optimizing resource allocation and implementing cost-savings initiatives.

Brian Hester, B.Sc., P.Geol.

RETIRED (FEBUARY 1, 2022)

After 41 years at the helm, Cabra’s Founder and President Brian Hester, has announced his retirement. Brian spent his career building a business that has employed people from all walks of life, from all over the world. Given the tumultuous and often hostile nature of our industry, it is no small feat to maintain growth and remain successful for so many years. With mixed feelings of elation and poignancy, we wish Brian all the best in his much-deserved retirement.

We also ask, when you have a moment, to wish Brian well and thank him for his service in building a company that many of us have called home for our entire professional careers. His contact information will remain the same for the time being.

Get in touch

Cabra Consulting has proudly supplied industry-leading geological services to the petroleum industry for over 40 years. We pride ourselves in supplying our clients with qualified geologists appropriate for any drilling operation in the WCSB and beyond.

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