Mr. Benard was appointed as a member of our Board and as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Vitesse, effective May 1, 2026. Mr. Benard has served since 2023 as President of SOGC, LLC., a privately held upstream exploration and production company. Prior to joining SOGC, he was the principal and owner of Benargy LLC from 2021 until 2023, an advisory firm providing executive management services to energy companies, and held positions of increasing responsibility at Summit Discovery Resources LLC, an upstream exploration and production company, most recently serving as President and Chief Operating Officer from 2019 to 2021. Mr. Benard holds a B.S. in Business Administration and Management from the State University of New York at Fredonia. We believe that Mr. Benard s experience in the energy industry and position with the Company provide him with the necessary experience, qualifications and skills to serve as a director of Vitesse.