ConocoPhillips names Andy O'Brien CEO as Ryan Lance retires

ConocoPhillips announced that chief financial officer Andy O'Brien will become president and chief executive officer on Sept. 1, succeeding Ryan Lance, who will retire after 14 years as CEO and move to the role of executive chair. The transition also promotes Konnie Haynes‑Welsh, currently vice president of finance and controller, to senior vice president and chief financial officer.

O'Brien, a Conoco veteran since 1997, has held finance, planning and strategy positions across the company's global operations and joined the executive leadership team in 2022, overseeing Alaska and international businesses, commercial operations, LNG, corporate strategy, investor relations and M&A. The leadership change comes as the company reported strong second‑quarter results, including record Permian Basin output, a net profit of $3.93 billion and a 32.4% rise in revenue to $19.5 billion.

Board lead independent director Robert Niblock praised Lance for guiding ConocoPhillips since its 2012 spin‑off and said O'Brien’s deep knowledge makes him the right person to lead the next phase of the independent upstream producer.