N E W
S   R E L E A S E











TALISMAN
ENERGY ANNOUNCES CHANGES TO LEADERSHIP TEAM





CALGARY,
Alberta – January 29, 2009 – Talisman Energy Inc. has announced changes to its
senior leadership team. Nigel Hares, Executive Vice President, International
Operations (West) and John ‘t Hart, Executive Vice President, Exploration are
retiring. The Company is pleased to announce the appointment of Paul Smith and
Richard Herbert, respectively, in these roles. Paul and Richard are expected to
join Talisman towards the end of February and will report directly to John A.
Manzoni, President and CEO.





“Nigel
and John have been valued members of the leadership team at Talisman and we will
be sad to see them go,” said John A. Manzoni, President & CEO. “They have
both contributed to the tremendous growth and success of the Company. I am
grateful for their input into the Company’s new strategic direction and plans
for 2009. They are leaving their areas in excellent shape and well positioned to
play a significant role in Talisman’s future. Their experience and technical
expertise will be missed and I would like to thank them for their advice and
friendship.





“Joining
us will be Paul Smith, as the new Executive Vice President, International
Operations (West) and Richard Herbert, as Executive Vice President, Exploration.
Paul and Richard bring world class expertise in the upstream business and will
be valuable additions to the leadership team.”





Paul
Smith has an established track record in the upstream business with commercial,
operational, project management and strategic experience. In his most recent
role, he was Upstream Vice President at TNK-BP, responsible for operations in
West Siberia, with 3,500 employees and production of 450,000 boe/d.





Richard
Herbert brings global exploration experience in areas including Southeast Asia,
South America and the North Sea. Recently, he was a member of the TNK-BP
Management Board, holding the position of Executive Vice President Technology
and prior to that Vice President, Exploration.





Additional
information on Mr. Smith and Mr. Herbert can be found at the end of this
release.





Talisman
Energy Inc. is an independent upstream oil and gas company headquartered in
Calgary, Alberta, Canada.  The Company and its subsidiaries have
operations in North America, the North Sea, Southeast Asia and North Africa.
Talisman’s subsidiaries are also active in a number of other international
areas.  Talisman is committed to conducting its business in an
ethically, socially and environmentally responsible manner. The Company is a
participant in the United Nations Global Compact and included in the Dow Jones
Sustainability (North America) Index. Talisman's shares are listed on the
Toronto Stock Exchange in Canada and the New York Stock Exchange in the United
States under the symbol TLM.





For
further information, please contact:





Media and
General
Inquiries:                                                                                                Shareholder
and Investor Inquiries:





David
Mann,
Vice-President,                                                                                                Christopher
J. LeGallais, Vice-President,


Corporate
& Investor
Communications                                                                               Investor
Relations


Phone:                      403-237-1196
Fax:  403-237-1210                                                          Phone:                      403-237-1957
Fax: 403-237-1210


E-mail:                      tlm@talisman-energy.com                                                                    E-mail:                      
tlm@talisman-energy.com





04-09








Paul
Smith




Paul
comes to Talisman from TNK-BP, a $40 billion integrated Russian oil and gas
company. Most recently Paul was Upstream Vice President, responsible for their
West Siberia operations, with production of 450,000 boe/d and 3,500
employees.






He
started his career at BP in Aberdeen in 1993, and has held positions of
increasing responsibility in various international locations,
including:






·
            Project
      Finance Manager for BP’s first joint venture in
  China.






·
            Offshore
      Installation Manager for the Miller platform in the
  UK.






·
            Vice
      President & Director, Upstream Projects and later CFO for BP’s
      Trinidad operations, helping deliver the world’s largest offshore gas
      pipeline and develop a strategic framework for gas
    expansion.






·
            He
      returned to Aberdeen in 2003, where he was responsible for European
      exploration activity and bringing the $1 billion Clair facility West of
      Shetland online.




Paul has
an established track record in the upstream business, with commercial,
operational, project management and strategic experience. He received a BSc
(1st
Class Honours) in Business Organisation from Heriot-Watt
University.







Richard
Herbert






Richard
comes to Talisman from TNK-BP, a $40 billion integrated Russian oil and gas
company. Most recently, he was a member of the TNK-BP Management Board and
Executive Vice President, Technology, providing technology leadership and
support including: the centralized exploration program; seismic and production
technology; evaluation of major new field development projects; and reserves
management.






His
career started with Phillips Petroleum in 1980 and he moved to BP in 1984,
before joining TNK-BP in 2003. His extensive global experience
includes:






·
            Development
      geologist in West Africa.






·
            Exploration
      geologist working on projects in Southeast Asia, Western Europe and North
      Africa.






·
            Project
      Manager or Team Lead for ventures in Venezuela, Mexico, Colombia and
      Angola.






·
            Performance
      Unit Leader for the Wytch Farm oilfield in the
  UK.






·
            Transformation
      Team Leader, Aberdeen, in a special project to restructure BP's North Sea
      Business.






·
            Vice
      President Exploration, TNK-BP, developing an upstream renewal strategy,
      growing exploration additions to over 300 million barrels per
      year.






In
addition to an impressive track record in many facets of the exploration
business, Richard holds a B.Sc. (1st Class
Honours) in Geology from the University of Bristol.