Rex Tillerson, the CEO, chairman and president of Exxon Mobil, is now the front-runner to be Donald Trump’s Secretary of State. (Getty)
Rex Tillerson, the current CEO, chairman and president of ExxonMobil Corporation, is suddenly the front-runner to be Donald Trump‘s Secretary of State after Rudy Giuliani took himself out of the running for any cabinet position.
Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney is still a candidate, as is Dana Rohrbacher, but The Wall Street Journal reported on December 9 that Tillerson is now the “leading candidate” for the job.
Although the 64-year-old Tillerson has worked around the globe as an Exxon executive long before the merger of Exxon and Mobil in 1999, he has no experience in government or working as a diplomat. He also has close ties to Russia, which will come under increased scrutiny after The Washingon Post reported on that a secret CIA assessment concluded that Russia took steps during the 2016 presidential election to help Trump win the presidency.
Tillerson, who has been at Exxon since 1975 and is a native of Wichita Falls, Texas, is married to Renda St. Clair and they have four children. The Washington Post reported in April 2016 that Tillerson’s salary is $27.3 million.
Here’s a look at Tillerson’s life and career.
1. Tillerson Doesn’t Support Sanctions on Russia, Calling Them Ineffective
Rex Tillerson with Vladimir Putin in 2011. The two first met in 1999. (Getty)
Tillerson’s links to Russia date back to the late 1990s, when he first met Vladimir Putin in 1999. in 2011, ExxonMobil began a partnership with Rosneft, the government-owned Russian oil company, for exploration in the Black Sea and Arctic. Two years later, Putin presented Tillerson with the Order of Friendship, one of Russia’s highest civilian honors.
In March 2014, Russia annexed Crimea, resulting in sanctions from both the European Union and the U.S. The president of Rosneft was also targeted by the sanctions.
In May 2014, Tillerson told reporters that the sanctions had no impact on Exxon’s business in Russia, The Associated Press reported at the time.
“There has been no impact on any of our business activities in Russia to this point, nor has there been any discernible impact on the relationship,” he said. “The organizations continue to work business as usual.”
Tillerson also said that he believed sanctions were ineffective and opposes them. He said he spoke with U.S. officials about his views.
But as 2014 continued, Exxon did start to feel the effects of sanctions. As Bloomberg reports, Exxon could not continue drilling at a well a mile below the surface off the Siberian coast. It was estimated that the well could have pumped out a billion barrels, worth about $97 billion at the time. After the sanctions were imposed, Exxon packed up the drilling rig.
In October 2016, OilPrice.com reported that ExxonMobil lost $1 billion due to the sanctions.
When The Wall Street Journal reported on December 6 that Tillerson was being considered for a role in the Trump administration, the paper noted that most of his holdings of Exxon shares won’t vest for a decade and the value of these would only go up if Russian sanctions were dropped.
Tillerson was also back in Russia in June for the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum for the first time in two years, Reuters reported.
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2. Tillerson Supports a Carbon Tax, But Also Said That the World Will Continue Using Fossil Fuels, ‘Whether They Like It or Not
(Getty)
As a giant in the oil industry, Exxon has long been the target of environmentalists. The company tries to combat this by saying it supports a carbon tax, but as The Wall Street Journal reported in June 2016, the company hasn’t been actively pushing for it. Exxon frequently cites a 2009 speech Tillerson gave to show that he has supported a carbon tax for several years.
Tillerson said in the speech:
As a businessman it is hard to speak favorably about any new tax. But a carbon tax strikes me as a more direct … a more transparent … and a more effective approach. It avoids the costs and complexity of having to build a new market for securities traders or the necessity of adding a new layer of regulators and administrators to police companies and consumers. And a carbon tax can be more easily implemented. It could be levied under the current tax code without requiring significant new infrastructure or enforcement bureaucracies.
A carbon tax is also the most efficient means of reflecting the cost of carbon in all economic decisions – from investments made by companies to fuel their requirements to the product choices made by consumers.
However, their support of an effort to curb global warming doesn’t mean that Tillerson believes fossil fuels will really go out of fashion. “The world is going to have to continue using fossil fuels, whether they like it or not,” Tillerson said at an investors meeting in May 2016, the Financial Times’ Ed Crooks told Newsweek.
During this meeting, 81 percent of shareholders voted against Exxon publicly supporting the Paris Climate Agreement.
In November 2015, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman launched an investigation into ExxonMobil to learn if they lied to investors about climate change, USA Today reported at the time. Schneiderman issued subpoenas for internal documents.
“The charges are pretty unfounded, without any substance at all,” Tillerson told Fox News after Schneiderman launchedh is investigation. “And they’re dealing with a period of time that happened decades ago, so there’s a lot I could say about it. I’m not sure how helpful it would be for me to talk about it.”
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3. Tillerson Has Supported Free Trade, Which Trump Railed Against During the Election
(Getty)
While Trump spent time on the campaign trail criticizing trade deals like NAFTA and TPP, Tillerson has supported free trade in the past. That makes sense, since Exxon has operations on all six continents and in over 50 countries.
In a 2009 speech at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Tillerson pushed for more free trade agreements.
Here’s what Tillerson said on free trade in the speech:
The need for international cooperation provides another opportunity for government to exercise a unique and positive role – by fostering free trade. We know from history that innovation and economic progress depend on the free flow of goods, services, capital and expertise across borders.
By enabling advanced economies and innovative companies to create partnerships, work across borders, and train local populations, government can support the most efficient use of resources and human capital. And as we confront our current economic challenges, Congress must resist the urge to turn its back on these proven policies. The United States cannot afford to raise barriers to trade.
History reminds us that governmental policies that limit free markets and free trade can lead to a prolonged stagnation and substantial job losses – especially during times of economic weakness and recession.
This isn’t a view that Tillerson has moved away from. During a keynote speech at the IHS CERAweek event in Houston in 2015, he advocated for free trade in energy.
“Our industry continues to struggle under the weight of policies that are the products of 1970’s thinking. This must change,” he said. “Free trade in energy will lead to increased investment, job creation and energy production.”
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4. Tillerson Was President of Boy Scouts of America & Pushed for Openly Gay Youths to be Allowed to Join
(Getty)
Although Tillerson has spent his entire business career at Exxon, he has found time for other activities, including continuing his support for Boy Scouts of America. As the Dallas Morning News reported in a profile of Tillerson, he was president of the organization from 2010 to 2012.
During his tenure, he convinced the Boy Scouts to allow openly gay youths to join, but it wasn’t until July 2015 that the ban on gay adult troop leaders was lifted.
“He was instrumental in leading the organization through an important period of growth and development, while upholding the long-standing traditions of character and good citizenship that are essential to Scouting’s mission,” the Boy Scouts said in a statement to USA Today on December 5.
Despite Tillerson’s support for gays in the Boy Scouts, it wasn’t until January 2015 that Exxon finally changed its Equal Employment Opportunity policy to include banning discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, the Human Rights Campaign reported.
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5. Tillerson Has Zero Experience in Government or as a Diplomat, Unlike Past Secretaries of State
(Getty)
When The Wall Street Journal first reported that Tillerson was being considered for Secretary of State, the paper noted that Exxon executives – and even Tillerson himself – were surprised.
After all, Tillerson has no experience at any level of government. He’s spent his entire business career with one company. He has represented Exxon on an international stage, but he’s never had to represent the interests of his country.
By comparison, past Secretaries of State have had government experience. Both Hillary Clinton and John Kerry served in the U.S. Senate before President Barack Obama named them Secretary of State. Colin Powell was a four-star General and former Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, while Condoleeza Rice was on the National Security Council under George H.W. Bush and was President George W. Bush’s National Security Advisor before they made George W. Bush’s Secretaries of State.
According to Tillerson’s company bio, he has a degree in civil engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and joined Exxon in 1975 as a production manager. He climbed the ranks, ultimately becoming president of Exxon Neftegas Limited in 1998, which was when he first started working in Russia. He’s been CEO of the company since January 1, 2006.
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Daniel S. Levine is entertainment and news contributor to Heavy, and former editor at TheCelebrityCafe.com. Graduate of Hofstra University, plus classic movie and Star Wars geek. Follow him on Twitter at @dsl89 and contact him at daniel.levine@heavy.com.December 10, 2016 1:16 pm
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