If you want to live by the precautionary principle, then crawl up in a ball and live in a cave...
Here is a man who could be renamed as the walking controversy and
emerging victorious. Rex Tillerson, the CEO of Exxon Mobil ,one of the
world’s largest oil company has given it all to his organizational alma
mater. Starting as a humble engineer with the designation of a
production manager, his journey with the company has been that of
whirlwind success as well as controversy. Though the successful
businessman in him has hit the headlines time and again for the record
breaking figures that the company has achieved in his guidance, and the
number of honours and accolades that has been accredited to his name by
some of the big names in the sector and others worldwide, yet the
environmentalist in him has been questioned time and again on his
approach of placing business over humanity.
Yet like a true entrepreneur everytime, he has silenced the critics
with one of his kind success mantras and quotes which are not only
irrefutable but is food for thought as to prioritizing of resources. He
is a man who defines dignity and belief in one’s work, who has stood
against the test of time and emerged as a true winner in the face of
struggle both internal in terms of the company as well as conspiracy
theories thrown out of the blue from across the globe.
Early Days and Education
Born on 23rd March in Wichita Falls, Texas, he spent the majority of
his childhood at Oklahoma and Texas, which are incidentally two of the
world’s leading producers of Petroleum and Natural Gas- and hence the
man today can speak about these resources with such ease and expertise.
Hailing originally from Wichita Falls, Texas; Rex has taken the world of
oil and petroleum by shudder and shimmer. Based on the records, he is
believed to be an American by Nationality and currently residing at
Irving, Texas.
From a very tender age, the life of scouts attracted Rex, and thus he
successfully earned the rank of an Eagle Scout as early as 1965.
Thereafter he went on to graduate from Huntsville High School in Texas
in the year 1970 and successfully attained a Bachelor of Science degree
in Civil Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin (1975).
During his learning at University of Texas, he was majorly involved with
the Longhorn Band, Tejas Club and Alpha Pi Omega and in the year 2006
was named as a Distinguished Engineering Graduate. Later in 2011 he was
honoured with a doctorate engineering degree from the Worcester
Polytechnic Institute. Rex joined Exxon Company, U.S.A as a production
engineer immediately on completing his degree in Civil Engineering in
1975.
The Spark
Tillerson’s career graph though shows the starkest and progressive
outlook, yet his professional life has not been a bed of roses to say
the least. He has been attacked on multiple occasions for his speeches,
thoughts and institutional support in the context of climatic changes,
sustainable development, and alternative sources of energy to say the
least. Irrespective of his phenomenal achievements in terms of the
company’s growth progress which recorded for an estimated 80 percent of
the company's $11 billion profit in the year 2002 and the number of
accolades which had proved his worth as not only a successful business
man but as a responsible citizen, yet the world at large considers him
as a risk to national security and unevidenced funding of activities
that are believed to cause irreparable climatic catastrophe in the mere
future. However as quoted by Cathy Booth Thomas in an article on Time’s
Magazine “when he walks into the room, Rex Tillerson radiates competence
and stability, Tillerson has a reputation as a good 'hands-on' guy and a
solid exploration and production manager. He's a Texas engineer type in
a company with a history of being run by engineers.”
His Journey with Exxon Mobil
Tillerson’s journey with Exxon started as early as 1975, as a
production designer when he freshly graduated from the University of
Texas with a degree in Civil Engineering. There, he was involved in a
diversity of role playing ranging from technical, engineering to
supervisory assignments. Thereafter from 1987-1989 he was involved as a
business development manager in the natural gas department. The big leap
in his career came in the year 1995 when he was appointed as the
President of Exxon Yemen Inc. The year 1998 saw Rex as its best with a
multitude of responsibilities bestowed upon him as the Vice President
of CIS and Production Khorat and president of Exxon Neftegas Limited
apart from being responsible for Exxon’s holdings in Russia as well as
in the Caspian Sea region. In 1999, he was appointed as Executive Vice
President of ExxonMobil Development Company, irrespective of being in
the controversial struggle between the management body and the
shareholders, not to mention gliding with glee over the conspiracy
theories. In 2001, Rex became the President of Exxon Mobil Corporation
and finally the year 2006 saw him becoming the Chief Executive Officer
for ExxonMobil. He is regarded as one of the most efficient employee
that Exxon has seen through his managerial, supervisory and executive
roles, further his contribution was an approach to the production and
technical aspects of the Company is unparalleled. It is under his able
guidance that Exxon vied with Apple Inc has progressed to become the one
of the world’s largest oil companies as well as the largest public
company in the region based on market value.
Family
Rex is married to Renda St. Clair and is blessed as the father of four children.
Professional Affiliations |
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ExxonMobil Chemical Company |
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The University of Texas, Austin |
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American Petroleum Institute Inc. |
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Center for Strategic and International Studies |
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Société Francaise Exxon Mobil Chemical |
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The Business Roundtable |
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The Business Council |
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Exxon Corporation |
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Exxon Yemen Inc |
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Esso Exploration and Production Khorat Inc. |
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Exxon Ventures (CIS) Inc |
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Exxon Neftegas Limited |
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ExxonMobil Development Company. |
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Exxon Mobil Corporation |
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National Petroleum Council |
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Business Council for International Understanding |
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Emergency Committee for American Trade |
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Boy Scouts of America |
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United Negro College Fund |
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Ford’s Theatre Society |
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Society of Petroleum Engineers |
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Exxonmobil Australia Pty. Ltd |
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National Republican Congressional Committee |
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National Republican Senatorial Committee |
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Republican National Committee |
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Awards and Accolades |
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Named as a distinguished alumnus of the University of Texas at Austin (2007); |
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Awarded the “The Inspira Award” by the Hispanic Heritage Foundation (2008); |
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Introduced into the Eagle Scout Hall of Fame of the Greater New York Councils; (2009); |
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Awarded the Silver Buffalo Award (2010); |
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Recipient of the
Corporate Award at the Bishop Walker Memorial Dinner (2010) and the
Global Leadership Award by the United Nations Foundation (2011); |
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Received an honorary doctorate engineering degree from the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (2011); |
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Awarded the Order of Friendship by Vladimir Putin (2013); |
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Honored with the Green Cross for Safety Medal by the National Safety Council and John Rogers Award (2013); |
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Appointed as the
National President of the Boys Scout of America and honorary trustee of
Business Council for International Understanding; |
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