Darren Woods

Darren W. Woods
Woods in 2024
Darren W. Woods
Born	16 12, 1965
Birthplace	Wichita, Kansas, U.S.
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 has served as chairman and chief executive officer of ExxonMobil, one of the world's largest publicly traded oil and gas companies, since January 2017. A career ExxonMobil employee who joined the corporation's predecessor, Imperial Oil, after graduating from Texas A&M University in 1987, Woods rose through a series of management positions across the company's refining, chemicals, and natural gas divisions before being named president in 2016 and succeeding Rex Tillerson as CEO the following year. Under his leadership, ExxonMobil has pursued an investment strategy that includes expanding oil and gas production, particularly in the Permian Basin and Guyana, while also investing in lower-carbon technologies such as carbon capture and storage and direct air capture. Woods has also emerged as an outspoken figure on energy policy, publicly advocating for a price on carbon emissions and criticizing regulatory approaches he views as undermining long-term energy investment.

Early Life

Darren Wayne Woods was born on December 16, 1965, in Wichita, Kansas. Details about his parents, family background, and upbringing in Kansas have not been extensively documented in public sources. He grew up during a period of significant upheaval in the American energy industry, as the oil crises of the 1970s reshaped both the national economy and public attitudes toward petroleum companies.

Woods attended Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, where he graduated in 1987 with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering. His time at Texas A&M, one of the state's flagship public universities with deep historical ties to the energy industry, provided a foundation for his subsequent career in the petroleum sector. Woods has maintained connections to the university throughout his career, and in 2026, he appeared as the inaugural guest on the Aggie Legends podcast produced by the Mays Business School at Texas A&M, where he discussed his experiences as a student and the trajectory of his career.

Education

Woods earned his Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from Texas A&M University in 1987. He later pursued graduate studies at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, where he obtained a Master of Business Administration (MBA). The combination of a technical undergraduate degree in engineering and a graduate business degree became characteristic of many senior executives in the energy industry, equipping Woods with both the technical understanding of refining and petrochemical operations and the strategic management skills required at the corporate level.

Career

Early Career at Exxon

After completing his undergraduate degree at Texas A&M in 1987, Woods began his career with Imperial Oil, a Canadian subsidiary of what was then Exxon Corporation. His early career involved positions in the company's refining and supply operations. Over the following decades, Woods held a succession of management roles across multiple divisions and geographic regions within the Exxon and later ExxonMobil corporate structure, following the 1999 merger of Exxon and Mobil.

Woods progressed through roles of increasing responsibility in the company's downstream and chemical businesses. His career path included assignments in refining operations, where he gained experience in the large-scale industrial processes that convert crude oil into fuels, lubricants, and chemical feedstocks. This deep operational background in refining and chemicals distinguished Woods from his predecessor, Rex Tillerson, who had spent the majority of his career in ExxonMobil's upstream exploration and production division.

Rise to CEO

In January 2016, Woods was named president of ExxonMobil, positioning him as the leading candidate to succeed Tillerson as chief executive. On December 14, 2016, ExxonMobil announced that Woods would become chairman and CEO effective January 1, 2017, replacing Tillerson, who was subsequently nominated by President Donald Trump to serve as United States Secretary of State.

The transition occurred at a time of significant challenge for ExxonMobil and the broader oil industry. The company had experienced a sharp decline in profits due to depressed oil prices, and was facing mounting pressure from investors and environmental groups regarding its response to climate change. Woods inherited a company that, while still among the largest corporations in the world by revenue, was grappling with questions about the long-term future of fossil fuels and the strategic direction of the energy industry.

In one of his first major interviews after assuming the CEO role, Woods discussed the company's strategy with Forbes, addressing topics including ExxonMobil's operations in Russia, climate change, and the expansion of operations in the Permian Basin.

Strategic Direction Under Woods

Under Woods's leadership, ExxonMobil pursued a dual strategy of expanding its traditional oil and gas production while also investing in lower-emission technologies. The company made substantial capital commitments to increasing output from the Permian Basin in West Texas and from offshore operations in Guyana, where ExxonMobil has been the lead operator of a consortium that has made significant oil discoveries since 2015.

In 2017, shortly after becoming CEO, Woods signaled a notable shift in ExxonMobil's public stance on climate policy. He wrote to the newly inaugurated Trump administration expressing support for the Paris Agreement on climate change, marking a departure from the company's previous more skeptical positioning. Woods publicly advocated for a carbon tax as a market-based mechanism to address greenhouse gas emissions, arguing that a price on carbon would provide the most efficient and economically rational approach to reducing emissions while maintaining energy security.

ExxonMobil under Woods also invested in carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology and began developing projects for direct air capture, a technology that removes carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere. In 2024, Woods discussed the company's direct air capture efforts, noting that while the technology held significant potential, costs needed to decrease substantially before it could be deployed at scale.

In June 2025, Woods spoke at the German Marshall Fund Brussels Forum in Belgium, where he discussed what he characterized as the need for practical solutions to energy and climate challenges, emphasizing the role of technology and long-term investment over regulatory mandates.

Climate and Environmental Controversies

Woods's tenure has been marked by significant scrutiny regarding ExxonMobil's role in climate change and the accuracy of its public statements about climate science. In October 2020, Bloomberg News reported on leaked internal documents suggesting that ExxonMobil's carbon emissions were projected to increase under the company's existing business plans, despite public commitments to address its environmental footprint.

In October 2021, Woods and other oil industry executives testified before a U.S. House Oversight Committee hearing investigating whether major oil companies had misled the public about the role of fossil fuels in causing climate change. During the hearing, Woods was accused by committee members of misleading the public about the company's knowledge of climate science. Woods denied that ExxonMobil had engaged in a campaign of climate disinformation. The hearing was part of a broader investigation by congressional Democrats into the fossil fuel industry's public communications about climate change over several decades.

The Guardian also included Woods in a 2021 article identifying what it described as key figures in the fossil fuel industry whose decisions had significant implications for the climate crisis.

In October 2025, Woods publicly criticized the European Union's Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), describing the regulatory framework as a "bone-crushing burden" on businesses and arguing that it posed potential negative consequences for energy companies and economic competitiveness.

Energy Policy and Venezuela

In early 2026, Woods emerged as a prominent public voice on energy policy, at times placing himself in tension with the administration of President Donald Trump. In January 2026, Woods attended a meeting with President Trump alongside other industry executives to discuss the situation in Venezuela, where ExxonMobil has historical interests in the country's heavy crude oil reserves.

Woods stated that ExxonMobil possessed the technology to produce Venezuela's heavy crude but offered frank assessments of the challenges facing the industry, including what he characterized as an environment that made certain energy investments difficult to justify. According to Fortune, Woods's candid public remarks about the investment climate drew a sharp response from Trump, who threatened to exclude ExxonMobil from potential opportunities in Venezuela, reportedly calling the company "too cute." The exchange highlighted Woods's willingness to publicly articulate positions that did not align with political expectations, a role that Fortune described as making him an "unofficial industry spokesman."

In February 2026, Woods continued to speak publicly about the intersection of policy and energy investment, arguing that unstable or inconsistent government policies were undermining the long-term energy supply and the industry's ability to invest in both traditional and lower-emission energy sources, including liquefied natural gas (LNG).

CBS News Profile

A profile by CBS News examined how Woods had stepped out from the shadow of his predecessor, Rex Tillerson, who had been a far more publicly prominent figure both as CEO and later as Secretary of State. The profile noted that Woods, who had spent his entire career within ExxonMobil's corporate structure, brought a different leadership style — more focused on operational discipline and less on geopolitical engagement than Tillerson.

Personal Life

Darren Woods has maintained a relatively private personal life compared to some peers in the energy industry. He was born and raised in Wichita, Kansas, and has maintained long ties to Texas, where ExxonMobil is headquartered (the company relocated its headquarters from Irving, Texas, to Houston in 2023).

Woods is an alumnus of Texas A&M University, class of 1987, and has continued his association with the institution. In January 2026, he was featured as the first guest on the Aggie Legends podcast, produced by the university's Mays Business School, where he discussed his career journey and connection to the university.

Recognition

In 2023, Woods received a leadership award from CME-STEM, an organization focused on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education, for his contributions to industry leadership.

Woods has been a frequent speaker at major international forums and conferences, including the World Economic Forum and the German Marshall Fund Brussels Forum. His public appearances have increased notably since he became CEO, as he has taken on a more visible role in advocating for the energy industry's positions on policy matters including carbon pricing, regulatory frameworks, and long-term energy investment strategies.

In media coverage, Woods has been profiled by major outlets including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Financial Times, Fortune, CBS News, and CNBC, reflecting his position at the helm of one of the world's most consequential corporations.

Legacy

As of 2026, Woods's legacy remains an evolving narrative, shaped by the competing pressures facing the global energy industry. His tenure as ExxonMobil's CEO has coincided with a period of intensifying debate over the future of fossil fuels, the pace of the energy transition, and the responsibilities of major oil companies in addressing climate change.

Under Woods, ExxonMobil has maintained its position as one of the world's largest oil and gas producers while simultaneously expanding its investments in carbon capture and low-carbon technologies. His public advocacy for a carbon tax distinguished ExxonMobil's policy stance from some other fossil fuel companies and represented a shift from the industry's historical resistance to carbon pricing mechanisms.

At the same time, the company has faced persistent criticism from environmental organizations and some shareholders who have argued that ExxonMobil's investments in lower-carbon technologies remain insufficient relative to the scale of its fossil fuel operations. The 2021 congressional hearings on climate disinformation brought additional scrutiny to both ExxonMobil's historical conduct and Woods's personal testimony.

Woods's emergence in 2026 as a public commentator willing to challenge political leaders on energy policy — including his frank exchanges with the Trump administration over Venezuela and investment conditions — has added another dimension to his public profile, positioning him as a figure who, regardless of one's assessment of the industry he leads, has played a central role in shaping the discourse around energy, climate, and economic policy in the 21st century.