Darren Woods

Darren Woods is a graduate of Texas A&M University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering, and holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management. Born December 16, 1965, in Wichita, Kansas, Woods grew up with exposure to international environments due to his father's work as a military supplier, spending much of his youth living near various U.S. military bases around the world.

Woods joined Exxon Company International in 1992 as a planning analyst in Florham Park, New Jersey. In 2005, he was appointed vice president of ExxonMobil Chemical Company in Houston, Texas, where he managed global specialty-chemical businesses. In 2008, he was named ExxonMobil Refining and Supply Company's director of refining for Europe, Africa and the Middle East, and was based in Brussels. In 2010, he was appointed vice president of supply and transportation, based in Fairfax, Virginia.

Career History

• Planning Analyst, Exxon Company International (1992)
• Vice President, ExxonMobil Chemical Company (2005)
• Director of Refining, Europe/Africa/Middle East (2008)
• Vice President, Supply & Transportation (2010–2012)
• President, ExxonMobil Refining and Supply Company and Vice President, Exxon Mobil Corporation (2012–2014)
• Senior Vice President, Exxon Mobil Corporation (2014–2015)
• President, Exxon Mobil Corporation and Board Member (2016–2017)
• Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (2017–present)

Woods brings 30 years of global industry experience managing highly sophisticated, safety-critical operations and has held a number of senior leadership roles in multiple international business units prior to being promoted to CEO. His experience leading transformational change, including the launch of ExxonMobil's Low Carbon Solutions business, helps the Board to better understand and navigate the complex issues associated with transforming a multi-dimensional, capital intensive, commodity business through a thoughtful, long-term energy transition. Under his leadership, ExxonMobil's pipeline of emission-reduction opportunities in carbon capture and storage, hydrogen and lower-emission fuels has grown significantly since the Low Carbon Solutions business establishment in 2021.

What Darren Woods could bring to ExxonMobil's Chairman and CEO role: Woods' three-decade operational background in refining, chemicals, and supply chain management positions him uniquely to navigate the energy industry's transition to lower-carbon solutions while maintaining the capital discipline and operational excellence required to lead a Fortune 10 corporation. His engineering mindset, combined with international business acumen from his MBA and global assignments across four continents, enables strategic decision-making that balances shareholder returns with the complex geopolitical and environmental challenges reshaping the global energy landscape.