Phillips 66 CEO uses podcast appearance to outline how company is navigating disruption
The Houston Business Journal’s new HBJ On the Record podcast featured a familiar first-ever guest: Phillips 66 Chairman and CEO Mark Lashier. In a wide-ranging conversation with Editor-in-Chief Sean McRory and Energy Reporter Naomi Klinge, Lashier touched on market volatility, shifting trade flows, the company’s long-term energy outlook and his Iowa farm origin story.
Why it matters
Lashier used the interview to send a clear message: Phillips 66 is built for volatility. As geopolitical disruption continues to reshape global energy markets, he emphasized the company’s ability to run safely at high rates, move products where they are needed most and capture value through its integrated Refining, Midstream and Commercial network.
He also pointed to the strategic importance of projects such as the proposed Western Gateway pipeline, which would help move refined products from the Mid-Continent and Gulf Coast to western markets more reliably.
Key takeaways
Among the clearest themes was the company’s belief that demand for liquid hydrocarbons will remain strong for years.
“We think the world’s going to need liquid hydrocarbons for a very long time,” Lashier said, underscoring the company’s strategy of continuing to invest in its refining base – including its Mid-Continent assets – while also maintaining an all-of-the-above approach that includes renewables.
He also stressed the value of operational agility, saying Phillips 66 is prepared “to be agile and to respond to whatever the world needs” as global supply, demand and logistics continue to shift.
From Iowa to Phillips 66
Lashier also shared his personal path from Farragut, Iowa – a town of roughly 500 people – to Iowa State University, where he discovered chemical engineering and later earned a Ph.D.
That foundation — grounded in hard work, curiosity and problem-solving — still shows up in how he leads Phillips 66 today: pragmatic, disciplined and focused on keeping the company ready for changing markets and long-term opportunity.
Click here to watch the podcast.