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Industries: Energy, Oil & Gas
Energy leadership, recruited from the energy capital.
Allen Austin has placed energy executives from Houston since 1996, through four price cycles, two consolidation waves and the beginning of the transition. The leaders who perform in this industry combine operating discipline with capital judgment and the ability to hold a team together when the commodity turns. We know who they are, and we know how to confirm it before you hire.
The Market Now
Capital discipline, consolidation, and a retirement wave.
The energy industry that emerges from this decade is run differently. Investors want returns over growth, so operators need leaders who can run lean and still find the next barrel, the next molecule or the next megawatt. Consolidation has concentrated assets and thinned leadership benches. LNG, power demand and the transition have created roles that did not exist five years ago.
Underneath all of it is a workforce gap. Two downturns of layoffs pushed a generation of operating experience out of the industry, and the leaders who stayed are retiring. The companies that win the next cycle will be the ones that identified and secured their next generation of leaders before the market did.
How Foresight™ worksSectors We Serve
Across the energy value chain.
Each sector has its own talent pool, its own cycle and its own definition of a great operator.
Upstream E&P
Executives for independents and private operators across the Permian, Eagle Ford, Haynesville and offshore.
Midstream & LNG
Leaders for gathering, processing, pipelines, storage and export projects.
Oilfield Services & Equipment
Presidents, COOs and commercial leaders for service, equipment and compression companies.
Downstream, Chemicals & Refining
Site leaders, operations executives and functional heads for Gulf Coast plants.
Power, Renewables & Cleantech
Leaders for generation, utilities, renewables developers and energy technology companies.
Energy-Adjacent Industrial & Services
Engineering, construction, environmental and specialty services that serve the industry.
Representative Work
Searches we have completed in energy.
A sample of announced engagements. Many of our energy searches are confidential and are not listed.
Arkos Field Services (Burckhardt Compression): President
Compression services leadership for a Swiss-owned Houston business.
Trecora Resources: Site Leader
Operations leadership for a specialty petrochemicals producer.
Jaco Oil Company: Chief Operating Officer
COO search for a family-owned fuels and convenience operator.
Stream-Flo USA: Leadership search
Wellhead and valve manufacturer, U.S. operations.
Energy Corridor District: Executive Director
Leadership for the management district at the heart of Houston’s energy industry.
Burckhardt Compression: New engagement
Second engagement for the global compression leader.
Practice Leadership
Partners who know the industry from the inside.
Every energy search is run by a senior partner who has worked in or around the industry.
Gary Skarke
Senior Partner
Business transformation executive with deep work across industrial and energy companies, automation and digital operations.
Nick McQuarry
Partner
CEO, CFO, COO and operations searches across oil & gas, manufacturing and commercial services.
Dwane Ruiz
Senior Advisor
Forty years as a senior executive in industrial manufacturing and services, from the boardroom to the shop floor.
“The firm’s team members are true professionals and conduct searches expeditiously, professionally, and when necessary, confidentially.“
Barry Coombs · President & CEO
Questions we hear most
Before you call, a few straight answers.
Which energy roles do you search for?
CEOs, presidents, COOs, CFOs, CHROs and CIOs, plus operations, HSE, commercial, engineering and site leadership. We also recruit independent directors for energy boards.
Do you work with private equity-backed energy companies?
Frequently. Sponsor-owned services, midstream and upstream companies are a large share of our energy practice, and the work runs through our private equity practice.
Can you run a confidential replacement search?
Yes. Most energy replacement searches are confidential. Candidate conversations are run without naming the company until you approve, and the partner handles every contact personally.
Do you place leaders outside Houston?
Yes. Houston is home, but we recruit energy executives for Midland, Denver, Oklahoma City, Calgary, Pittsburgh and international locations.
From the TPL Insights archive