Lashier talks energy on OKC executive panel

CEO covers practices, policy and technology  

Trust, transparency and simplicity.

Those are the keys to doing business, Phillips 66 Chairman and CEO Mark Lashier told an executive panel in Oklahoma City.

“You’ve got to have trust-based relationships with the people you do business with,” said Lashier at an Oklahoma Energy Institute event held in collaboration with the American Association of Professional Landmen. “You’ve got to be transparent with them and keep things as simple as possible. That’s how things get done.”

Lashier spoke alongside Rick Muncrief, president and CEO of Devon Energy, an Oklahoma City exploration and production company, and Pierce Norton, president and CEO of midstream operator ONEOK, based in Tulsa.

Moderated by Ann Bluntzer, executive director of Oklahoma State University’s Hamm Institute for American Energy, the panel touched on a range of topics, from business practices like trust, transparency and simplicity to energy policy to technology.

Looking ahead, Lashier said he expects some permitting reform and a stable tax outlook, but he said both traditional and renewable fuels will be needed to meet energy demand. “Consistent energy policy is what we’re after,” he said.

“It’s going to be an all-of-the-above solution,” said Lashier. “We need technologies with the lowest impact on the environment, and also high energy density liquid hydrocarbons that allow you to move around in ways that are safe.”

On technology, Lashier said Phillips 66’s history of innovation has allowed the company to embrace artificial intelligence.

“AI boils down to helping our people make better decisions faster and to positioning us better in the marketplace,” said Lashier. “We’re going to continue to provide energy no matter what the molecule is, and to focus on molecule management the best possible way to get you the products you need to improve your lives.”