Premier Oil slims down board as three members leave

LONDON, April 14 (Reuters) - Premier Oil (LSE: PMO.L - news) said on Thursday that three board members would stand down over the coming months and not be replaced as the North Sea-focused oil producer slims its leadership and trims costs.

Falkland Islands (LSE: FKL.L - news) and Southeast Asia Director Neil Hawkings will step down on June 30 but will continue working for Premier Oil as a consultant, the company said.

Non-executive directors David Bamford and Michel Romieu will leave following the firm's annual general meeting on May 11.

"It (Other OTC: ITGL - news) is incumbent on us, in the current commodity price environment, to consider the appropriate size of board membership," Chairman Mike Welton said in a statement.

Like other oil companies, Premier Oil has made substantial spending cuts to deal with a sharp decline in oil prices.

Hawkings has been a Premier Oil board member for 10 years and assumed responsibility for the Falklands portfolio in Jan. 2014.

(Reporting by Karolin Schaps; editing by Jason Neely)