David J. O’Reilly receives API’s gold medal achievement award

WASHINGTON, October 19, 2010—David J. O’Reilly, who retired as chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Chevron Corporation in 2009, is the recipient of the American Petroleum Institute 2010 Gold Medal for Distinguished Achievement.

The award, API’s highest honor, recognizes leaders who have made substantial contributions to the oil and natural gas industry throughout their careers. This year’s award was presented on Sunday, October 17, during the API Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia.

“Dave O’Reilly is one of the most highly regarded persons in our industry,” API’s president and CEO Jack Gerard said.  “He helped strengthen Chevron’s reputation as one of the world’s most respected corporations, recognized for its innovation, sound management and social commitment.  He is a great American leader.”

Under O’Reilly, Chevron Corporation merged with Texaco and then Unocal to become one of the largest and most profitable publicly traded oil and natural gas companies in the world.

As Chevron’s CEO, O’Reilly oversaw a nearly $100 billion rise in the company’s market capitalization.  During his tenure, Chevron increased its oil-equivalent production nearly 65 percent and expanded its proved reserves by 80 percent.

O’Reilly also strongly supported the company’s focus on technology development and safety improvement.

A native of Dublin, Ireland, O’Reilly started at Chevron as a process engineer after his graduation in 1968 from University College, Dublin.  He was elected chairman and chief executive officer in 2000 and held that position until his retirement at the end of 2009.

O’Reilly is vice-chairman of the National Petroleum Council, a member of the boards of Bechtel Group, Inc. and Saudi Aramco, and a member of The Business Council.  He also serves on the San Francisco Symphony Board of Governors.

API represents more than 400 oil and natural gas companies, leaders of a technology-driven industry that supplies most of America’s energy, supports more than 9.2 million U.S. jobs and 7.5 percent of the U.S. economy, and, since 2000, has invested nearly $2 trillion in U.S. capital projects to advance all forms of energy, including alternatives, while reducing the industry’s environmental footprint.

Previous API Gold Medal Recipients

Updated: October 19, 2010