Magnum Hunter Resources Corporation, an independent crude oil and natural gas exploration and production company, has appointed Fred Smith as senior vice president of accounting and chief accounting officer, effective as of Oct. 23. Smith assumes the role of chief accounting officer from David Krueger, who will assist with the transition through the end of this year.

With more than 35 years of oil and gas financial and accounting experience, Smith joins the company from Pioneer Natural Resources, where he served as corporate controller. Prior to Pioneer, Smith held various leadership positions at energy company ConocoPhillips. He served as vice president of finance and chief financial officer at River Gas Corporation, a privately-owned coal bed methane operator that was acquired by ConocoPhillips in 2000.

Previously, Smith held various financial and accounting management positions at The Louisiana Land & Exploration Company, where he worked for over 20 years. He began his career in the audit department at Ernst & Young.