Former Noble Energy Exec Brent Smolik Joins Marathon Oil Board

Marathon Oil Corp. said Jan. 11 that Brent Smolik, a former executive at Noble Energy, has been elected to the company’s board of directors.

Smolik, 59, has over 35 years of experience in the oil and natural gas industry. He recently retired from his role as president and COO of Houston-based Noble Energy following its merger with Chevron Corp. in 2020.

In a statement welcoming Smolik to the Marathon board of directors, Lee Tillman, chairman, president and CEO of Marathon Oil, said: “The addition of Brent complements our board of directors’ skills and experiences, and we believe he will provide a valuable perspective as we continue to execute our strategy of delivering competitive and improving corporate level returns, prioritizing sustainable cash flow generation, and returning capital to shareholders.”

The addition of Smolik, effective Jan. 11, increases the size of the Marathon board to nine, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Additionally, the Marathon board determined that Smolik was independent and also appointed him as a member of the company’s audit and finance and corporate governance and nominating committees, the SEC filing said.

Prior to joining Noble Energy in 2018, Smolik had held senior executive leadership roles at EP Energy Corp., El Paso Corp., ConocoPhillips Co. and Burlington Resources Inc. These included president, CEO and chairman of the board of EP Energy Corp. and EP Energy LLC from 2012 to 2017 and, prior to that, executive vice president of El Paso Corp. and president of the El Paso Exploration & Production Co. From 2004 to 2006, he served as president of ConocoPhillips Canada and Burlington Resources Canada. 

Smolik, who holds a bachelor’s degree in Petroleum Engineering from Texas A&M University, began his career with ARCO Oil and Gas in 1984.