Noble Energy Inc. (NYSE: NBL) said Oct. 24 that oil and gas veteran Brent Smolik will join the Houston-based company as president and COO.
Smolik brings more than 35 years of oil and gas experience to Noble, most recently as the chairman, president and CEO of EP Energy Corp. (NYSE: EPE). He left EP Energy, which operates in the Permian, Eagle Ford and Uinta Basin, after five years with the company in November 2017.
In connection with the transition, Gary Willingham, executive vice president of operations for Noble, will be leaving the company after 15 years with Noble to pursue other opportunities, according to the company press release.
At Noble, Smolik will be responsible for the leadership of the company’s worldwide operations, effective Nov. 16.
Noble’s portfolio includes positions in U.S. shale basins—the Denver-Julesburg, Eagle Ford and Permian Basin—and the Eastern Mediterranean in the Levant Basin, where the company discovered two of the world’s largest offshore natural gas fields.
David L. Stover, Noble Energy’s chairman, president and CEO, said in a statement: “I am excited to add Brent to our executive team as he will bring a wide breadth of operational, technical and leadership experience to Noble Energy. Having followed his career, I have been impressed by the results he has delivered and the leaders he has developed.”
Prior to EP Energy, Smolik also held various leadership roles with El Paso Corp., ConocoPhillips Co.’s (NYSE: COP) Canada group and Burlington Resources Inc. He has also served on the boards of directors of Cameron International Corp., the American Exploration and Production Council, America’s Natural Gas Alliance and the Producers for American Crude Oil Exports.
Smolik received his Bachelor of Science in Petroleum Engineering from Texas A&M University.
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