Jim is the Technical Director and co-founder of Strike Oil Ltd. Jim has worked as a geophysicist with various seismic acquisition and processing companies gaining extensive international experience throughout Europe, Africa, the Middle East, the Persian Gulf and South East Asia.

Jim has held senior geophysicist and exploration managerial positions with Delhi Petroleum and Western Mining Corporation. In 1993 Jim left WMC and established "Durrant & Associates", a petroleum exploration consultancy until the establishment of Strike Oil in 1997.

In 1996 Jim held the office of National President of the Petroleum Exploration Society of Australia (PESA), and 1997 was a founding member of the Australian Petroleum Consultants Association.

Jim is a long-time member of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists and has been a Council Member of the peak industry body, the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association (APPEA) since 2001 and Chairman of the APPEA Fiscal Committee since 2004.