Darren Woods

Darren W. Woods
Born	16 12, 1965
Birthplace	Wichita, Kansas, United States
Nationality	American
Occupation	Business executive
Title	Chairman and CEO of ExxonMobil
Employer	ExxonMobil
Known for	Chairman and CEO of ExxonMobil
Education	Texas A&M University (BS, 1987) Northwestern University (MBA)

Darren Wayne Woods (born December 16, 1965) is an American business executive who serves as the chairman and chief executive officer of ExxonMobil, one of the world's largest publicly traded oil and gas companies. A career ExxonMobil employee who joined the company's predecessor, Imperial Oil, shortly after graduating from Texas A&M University in 1987, Woods rose through a series of managerial and executive positions spanning refining, chemicals, and natural gas before being named president of ExxonMobil on January 1, 2016, and succeeding Rex Tillerson as CEO effective January 1, 2017. Under his leadership, ExxonMobil has navigated significant shifts in global energy markets, including volatile oil prices, growing investor pressure on climate issues, and an expanding portfolio in lower-carbon technologies such as carbon capture and storage. Woods has become a prominent voice within the energy industry, speaking publicly on topics ranging from the need for stable energy policy to the challenges of the global energy transition.

Early Life

Darren Wayne Woods was born on December 16, 1965, in Wichita, Kansas. Details about his childhood and family background have not been extensively documented in public sources. Woods grew up in Kansas and went on to attend Texas A&M University, where he graduated in 1987 with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering. His time at Texas A&M would prove formative; he has maintained ties to the university throughout his career, and in 2026 he appeared as the inaugural guest on the Mays Business School "Aggie Legends" podcast, where he discussed his journey from campus to the leadership of one of the world's largest corporations.

Education

Woods earned a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from Texas A&M University in 1987. He later obtained a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. His engineering background provided a technical foundation for a career in the energy industry, while his MBA equipped him with the managerial and strategic skills that would characterize his ascent through ExxonMobil's corporate hierarchy.

Career

Early Career at Exxon

After graduating from Texas A&M in 1987, Woods began his career with Imperial Oil, a Canadian subsidiary of what was then Exxon Corporation. Over the following decades, he held a broad range of positions across the company's operations, gaining experience in refining, supply, chemicals, and natural gas. This extensive rotation through different business units was consistent with ExxonMobil's well-known practice of developing executive talent internally through cross-functional assignments. Woods spent significant time in the company's refining and chemical divisions, which gave him deep operational knowledge of ExxonMobil's downstream business before he moved into senior leadership roles.

Rise to Senior Leadership

Woods advanced through ExxonMobil's management ranks over a nearly three-decade career, ultimately serving as president of ExxonMobil Refining & Supply Company, one of the company's principal operating divisions. He also held the role of vice president of ExxonMobil Chemical Company and served on ExxonMobil's board of directors prior to his appointment as CEO. On January 1, 2016, Woods was named president of ExxonMobil, placing him in line to succeed Rex Tillerson as CEO.

In December 2016, ExxonMobil announced that Woods would become chairman and CEO effective January 1, 2017, replacing Tillerson, who departed to serve as United States Secretary of State under President Donald Trump. The appointment was also reported by StreetInsider, which noted that Woods would simultaneously assume the roles of chairman and CEO, continuing ExxonMobil's longstanding practice of combining those positions.

CEO of ExxonMobil

Woods took the helm at a time of significant transition for the oil and gas industry. Shortly after becoming CEO, he sat for an exclusive interview with Forbes in February 2017, in which he discussed ExxonMobil's approach to Russia, climate change, and the company's expanding operations in the Permian Basin. In March 2017, The New York Times reported on Woods's early outreach to investors, noting that he was engaging with shareholders on issues including climate strategy and the company's long-term investment plans in a manner that represented a shift from the more guarded approach of his predecessor.

The Financial Times profiled Woods in 2017, examining how he was seeking to put his own stamp on the company while navigating the challenges posed by lower oil prices and increasing scrutiny from climate-focused investors and regulators.

Climate and Emissions Controversies

Woods's tenure has been marked by significant public debate over ExxonMobil's role in climate change. In October 2020, Bloomberg News published a report based on leaked internal documents that suggested ExxonMobil's carbon emissions were projected to rise, even as the company made public statements about addressing climate change.

In October 2021, Woods and other oil industry executives were called before a congressional panel to testify regarding the industry's knowledge of climate science. The Guardian reported that Woods was accused of lying about the company's understanding of climate science, allegations that ExxonMobil disputed. A Guardian opinion piece separately identified Woods among industry figures it described as responsible for insufficient action on the climate crisis.

Energy Transition and Carbon Capture

Despite the controversies, Woods has positioned ExxonMobil as a participant in the energy transition, though his approach has differed from that of some European competitors who have more aggressively pivoted toward renewable energy. In a June 2022 appearance on CNBC, Woods discussed the company's strategy for navigating the energy transition, arguing that the world would continue to need oil and gas for decades while investments in lower-carbon technologies scaled up. CNBC also reported on Woods's call for a higher price on carbon emissions, framing it as a market-based mechanism to drive emissions reductions across the economy.

A major pillar of Woods's lower-carbon strategy has been investment in carbon capture and storage (CCS) and direct air capture technology. In April 2024, CNBC reported that ExxonMobil under Woods was actively working on direct air capture technology, though Woods acknowledged that the costs of the technology needed to fall significantly before it could be deployed at scale. CNBC further reported in 2022 that ExxonMobil was at a "crossroads" regarding the clean energy transition and the climate crisis, with Woods tasked with charting a path that balanced shareholder returns with environmental commitments.

Policy Advocacy and Public Remarks

In June 2025, Woods spoke at the German Marshall Fund Brussels Forum in Belgium, where he outlined what he described as the need for "practical solutions" to energy and environmental challenges, advocating for policies that would enable investment in both traditional energy and new technologies.

In October 2025, Woods publicly shared concerns about the European Union's Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), describing the regulatory framework as a "bone-crushing burden" and raising questions about its potential implications for energy companies operating in Europe.

In early 2026, Woods emerged as a prominent industry voice on energy policy in the United States. He publicly discussed the need for stable policy frameworks and long-term investment to secure reliable, lower-emission energy, particularly in the context of liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Venezuela

In early 2026, Woods drew attention for his remarks on Venezuela, where ExxonMobil has historical interests. Fortune reported that Woods had emerged as an "unofficial industry spokesman," offering frank assessments of the challenges facing oil investment in Venezuela that put him at odds with President Donald Trump. According to Fortune, Trump threatened to keep ExxonMobil out of Venezuela after Woods described aspects of the industry there as "uninvestable," with Trump characterizing Woods as "too cute."

Woods subsequently attended a meeting hosted by President Trump alongside other industry executives to discuss the situation in Venezuela. ExxonMobil released a public statement afterward outlining the company's perspective on the matter. The Journal Record reported that Woods stated ExxonMobil possessed the technology to produce Venezuela's heavy crude and indicated the company was open to technical collaboration, though significant economic and political hurdles remained.

Personal Life

Darren Woods maintains a relatively private personal life. He was born and raised in Wichita, Kansas, and has maintained a connection to Texas A&M University, his undergraduate alma mater, where he graduated with the class of 1987. He has spent the majority of his professional life working within ExxonMobil and its predecessor entities. Public information about his family life is limited, consistent with the traditionally private corporate culture at ExxonMobil.

Recognition

In 2023, Woods received a leadership award from the CME-STEM organization, which recognized his contributions to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields through his role in the energy industry.

Woods has been featured prominently in business and energy media throughout his tenure as ExxonMobil's CEO. His appearances include interviews with Forbes, the Financial Times, The New York Times, CBS News, CNBC, and the Wall Street Journal, reflecting his position as one of the most prominent figures in the global energy industry. In 2024, he appeared at the World Economic Forum Special Meeting on Global Collaboration, Growth and Energy for Development, further underscoring his role as a leading voice on energy and economic policy on the international stage.

Legacy

As of 2026, Darren Woods continues to serve as chairman and CEO of ExxonMobil, making his tenure one of the longer in the company's modern history. His leadership has spanned a period of significant upheaval in the global energy sector, including the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on oil demand, the increasing urgency of the climate debate, and geopolitical disruptions affecting energy markets. Woods has overseen a strategic approach that has emphasized continued investment in oil and gas production—including major operations in the Permian Basin and Guyana—while simultaneously pursuing lower-carbon technologies such as carbon capture and storage, hydrogen, and biofuels.

His public remarks have frequently centered on the argument that the world requires a range of energy solutions and that precipitous policy shifts away from fossil fuels could undermine energy security and economic stability. This stance has drawn both support from those who view it as pragmatic and criticism from environmental advocates and some investors who have called for a faster transition. The congressional hearing testimony in 2021 and the subsequent public debate over ExxonMobil's historical knowledge of climate science remain defining moments of his tenure.

Woods's willingness to engage publicly on contentious policy questions—including his candid assessments of investment conditions in Venezuela that prompted a public rebuke from President Trump in 2026—has distinguished his leadership style from the more reticent approach of some of his predecessors at ExxonMobil.