Diamondback Energy Inc. said Nov. 30 its chief engineer, Russell Pantermuehl, will retire from his current role after roughly a decade with the Permian Basin shale producer.

Russell Pantermuehl Diamondback Energy headshot
Russell Pantermuehl

“I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Russell for his significant contribution to Diamondback over the past decade,” CEO Travis Stice commented in a company release. “His legacy of technical excellence and character will leave a lasting impact on the company.”

According to the release, Pantermuehl, currently executive vice president and chief engineer, will retire from his current role at year-end after having worked at Diamondback since August 2011, prior to the company’s IPO. Before joining Diamondback, he had served as a reservoir engineering supervisor for Concho Resources and also worked for ConocoPhillips Co. and as an independent consultant in the oil and gas industry.

Following his retirement, Diamondback said Pantermuehl agreed to serve as an adviser to the company through year-end 2022 in a limited role.

“I have had the privilege of working with Russell for multiple decades and have witnessed firsthand his influence on the oil and gas industry over a 40-year career,” Stice continued before adding: “I wish him all the best in his retirement and look forward to his continued contributions to Diamondback in his new role.”

As a result of Pantermuehl’s retirement, Diamondback announced the promotions on Nov. 30 of Al Barkmann, currently vice president of reservoir engineering, and Yong Cho, currently vice president of drilling.

Effective immediately, Barkmann will assume many of Pantermuehl’s prior responsibilities as senior vice president of reservoir engineering and will begin reporting to Danny Wesson, executive vice president of operations. Meanwhile, Cho has been promoted to senior vice president of drilling and will continue reporting too Wesson.

Headquartered in Midland, Texas, Diamondback is an independent E&P company focused on the acquisition, development, exploration and exploitation of unconventional, onshore oil and natural gas reserves primarily in the Permian Basin in West Texas.