Board Appointment

For immediate
release
17 October 2008


                       Gulfsands Petroleum plc

                          Board Appointment

London, 17th October, 2008: Gulfsands Petroleum plc (AIM: GPX)
("Gulfsands", "the Group" or "the Company"), the oil and gas
production, exploration and development company with activities in
Syria, Iraq and the USA, is delighted to announce that Mr. Richard
(Ric) Malcolm has now been appointed to the Board of Directors having
joined the Company as a Chief Executive Officer with effect from 15th
October, 2008.
Ric joined the Company from OMV (U.K.) Limited where he was Managing
Director of the UK E&P subsidiary of OMV AG, Austria's largest listed
company and one of Europe's leading oil and gas companies (see
announcement of 21st July 2008).

As part of his compensation arrangements Ric has been granted
1,500,000 options to subscribe for ordinary shares in the Company. In
accordance with the Company's Executive Share Option Scheme, the
exercise price of the options will be 186 pence per share and they
will vest in three tranches, being 750,000 which vested on 15th
October, 2008 and 375,000 on each of 15th October 2009 and 15th
October 2010.

For more information please contact:


Gulfsands Petroleum (London)                     [phone]
Kenneth Judge, Director of Corporate Development [phone]
Jon Bey, Investor Relations: North America       + 1 866 689 2599
Buchanan Communications Limited (London)         [phone]
Bobby Morse
Sam Botterill
RBC Capital Markets (London)                     [phone]
Andrew K. Smith
Sarah Wharry













ABOUT GULFSANDS:

Gulfsands is listed on AIM.

Syria
Gulfsands owns a 50% working interest and is operator of Block 26 in
North East Syria.  The Khurbet East oil field was discovered
following the completion of drilling of the KHE-1 well in June 2007
and commenced commercial production within 13 months of the
discovery. This field is currently producing in excess of 11,500
barrels of oil per day through the Khurbet East Early Production
Facility (EPF).  Block 26 covers approximately 8,250 square
kilometres and encompasses existing fields which currently produce
over 100,000 barrels of oil per day. These fields are operated mainly
by the Syria Petroleum Company.  On 23 August 2007, the Company
initiated the first extension period of exploration on Block 26 for a
further period of three years.

Iraq
Gulfsands signed a Memorandum of Understanding in January 2005 with
the Ministry of Oil in Iraq for the Maysan Gas Project in Southern
Iraq and following completion of a feasibility study on the project
is negotiating details of definitive contract for this regionally
important development.  The project will gather, process and transmit
natural gas that is currently a waste by-product of oil production
and as a result of the present practice of gas flaring, contributes
to significant environmental damage in the region.

Gulf of Mexico, USA
The Company owns interests in 48 offshore blocks comprising
approximately 168,000 gross acres which includes numerous producing
oil and gas fields offshore Texas and Louisiana with proved and
probable recoverable reserves net to Gulfsands at 31 December 2007 of
41.5 BCFGE (6.9 MMBOE), consisting of 27.3 BCFG and 2.36 MMBO.

Onshore USA
Gulfsands owns interests in two oil and gas fields onshore Texas, USA
(98.5% working interest in Emily Hawes Field and 37.5% working
interest in Barb Mag Field) with proved and probable recoverable
reserves net to Gulfsands at 31 December 2007 of 3.1 BCFGE (0.5
MMBOE), consisting of 2.8 BCFG and 57,000 barrels of oil.

Certain statements included herein constitute "forward-looking
statements" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation.
These forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions
made by Gulfsands and as such are not a guarantee of future
performance. Actual results could differ materially from those
expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements due to
factors such as general economic and market conditions, increased
costs of production or a decline in oil and gas prices. Gulfsands is
under no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking
statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or
otherwise, except as required by applicable laws.

More information can be found on the Company's website
www.gulfsands.net.

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