Kirk Goehring, senior vice president and COO of Jones Energy II Inc., is today’s featured Forty Under 40 honoree.

Since transitioning from corporate development into an operating role over two years ago, Goehring has helped transition Austin, Texas-based Jones Energy into a more cash-return-centered, accountability-conscious and data-driven firm.

“My background is unique among oil and gas chief operating officers who are generally engineers or geologists,” said Goehring, who previously worked in private equity and investment banking.

“I feel as though I’ve made an impact not in spite of but rather because of my financial background,” he continued. “I believe COOs with my background will become increasingly common as capital markets force oil and gas companies to recognize they are more in the business of producing cash than in the business of producing hydrocarbons.” 

Before joining Jones, Goehring was a private equity associate at Metalmark Capital and a mergers and acquisition analyst at Greenhill & Co.

Click here for Kirk Goehring’s complete profile.

Take a look at all of the Forty Under 40 honorees.