SM Energy Co. promoted Herbert S. Vogel to COO on June 3 following his leadership through SM Energy’s transition to a pure-play Texas company.

SM Energy COO Herb Vogel (Source: SM Energy Co.)
Herbert S. Vogel joined SM Energy
in 2012 after a roughly 30-year career
with BP and its affiliates. 
(Source: SM Energy Co.)

Vogel, currently executive vice president of operations, now will step into a role formerly held by SM Energy CEO Jay Ottoson before he took the reins of the Denver-based independent E&P in 2014.

Overall, Vogel has roughly 35 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, according to the SM Energy press release.

Vogel began his career as a reservoir engineer with ARCO Alaska Inc. He later went on to rise through the ranks of BP Plc, which had acquired ARCO in 2000. In 2012, Vogel joined SM Energy following his retirement from BP after more than 30 years with the British oil major.

Since August 2014, Vogel has served as executive vice president of operations where Ottoson said he has been integral to the company’s strategy to zero in on Texas’s Permian Basin and Eagle Ford Shale plays.

“Herb has done an exceptional job leading our operations team through a multi-year portfolio transition, and he has been instrumental in building and retaining our highly valued technical teams that have positioned SM as a top operator within our core areas,” Ottoson said in a statement on June 3.

For the past several years, SM Energy has completed several divestitures, including in the Williston and Powder River basins, as the company narrowed its focus on Texas shale plays. Last year, the company said it completed its transition with the sale of nearly 200,000 net acres in Divide County, N.D.

RELATED: SM Energy Transitions To Pure-Play Texas Company With $292 Million Asset Sales

Currently, SM Energy, which history dates back over a century, holds about 82,000 net acres in the Midland Basin and 163,000 net acres in South Texas, according to a recent investor presentation.

Emily Patsy can be reached at epatsy@hartenergy.com.