richest people in oil and gas
Ranking of the world's top 5 richest people in the oil and gas industry
5. Harold Hamm
4. Gennady Timchenko
3. Vagit Alekperov
2. Leonid Mikkelson
1. Mukesh Ambani
5. Harold Hamm – $13.8 billion
Harold Hamm is the chairman and chief executive officer of Continental Resources, the largest holder of mining interests in the Bakken Shale formation in North Dakota, USA. He owns 76% of the company's stock and has served as a director since 1967.
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Hamm transformed the U.S. oil industry by being the first to use horizontal drilling and fracturing to recover oil from the Bakken Shale, which represents 52 percent of Continental Resources' proven reserves.
Mr. Ham also founded the National Energy Producers Federation, which aims to preserve the jobs and economic activity created by America's onshore oil and gas operations. He has received numerous awards and recognitions, including the Platts Global Energy Lifetime Achievement Award and the Horatio Alger Award.
4. Gennady Timchenko – $21.3 billion
Gennady Timchenko owns a 23.5% stake in Novatek and a 17% stake in petrochemical maker Sibur through his investment arms Volga Resources and ENA Invest.
Volga Resources was formed after Timchenko sold a 44% stake in Gambar Group, a Cyprus-based oil trading company he founded in 2000. Through the company, Timchenko not only acquired shares in Novatek but also in the construction company Stroytransgas. A railway company called Transoil.
Timchenko has since diversified his holdings in companies operating in the insurance, banking, logistics and mining sectors through Volga Resources.
3. Vagit Alekperov – $21.6 billion
Vagit Alekperov is the president and CEO of Lukoil, an oil and gas company based in Russia, and owns approximately 25% of the company's shares. He is also the chairman of the company's management committee and a member of the board of directors.
Lukoil is Russia's third-largest oil and gas company and has significant interests outside Russia, including Iraq's West Qurna, Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz, and Ghana's Tano field.
Together with Total, Alekperov led the company to growth by investing in Siberia's Bazenov Shale. The Bazhenov Shale is believed to be nine times larger than the Bakken Shale.
2. Leonid Mikkelson – $25.4 billion
Leonid Mikhelson is the Chairman of the Board of the Russian oil and gas company Novatek. He is also the founder of the company, which was established in 1994 to explore oil and gas reserves in the Yamal-Nenets region.
The United States imposed sanctions on Novatek following Russia's involvement in the invasion of Ukraine. Despite the sanctions, the company was able to deliver on schedule some of the world's largest LNG projects, such as the Yamal LNG project.
Mr. Mickelson is focused on further strengthening NOVATEK's business by launching several LNG projects, including Artic LNG 2. He has been awarded several honors by the Russian Federation, including the Badge of Honor and the Order of Merit of the Fatherland, 2nd Class. , and the most prestigious figure in the gas industry.
1. Mukesh Ambani – $55.3 billion
Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries, has initiated the transition of the company from a textile business to an oil refining, oil and gas exploration and production company.
Under Mr. Ambani's leadership, the world's largest grassroots oil refinery was developed in Jamnagar, Gujarat, India. The refinery has an estimated capacity of 33 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) and has established Jamnagar as a refining hub. Reliance Industries posted a 44.6% jump in annual revenue to $89.52 billion in the fiscal year ended March 2019, driven by higher Brent crude oil prices.
Ambani also diversified Reliance Industries into telecommunications (branded Jio) and retail. He was named to TIME magazine's “100 Most Influential People” in 2019 and to Fortune magazine's “50 Greatest Leaders in the World” in 2018.
