John Hofmeister

Former President, Shell Oil Company

Known as a straight-shooting energy insider, John Hofmeister established and heads the not-for-profit association, Citizens for Affordable Energy, following his retirement as President of Shell Oil Company in 2008. The public policy firm promotes sound U.S. energy security solutions for the nation, including a range of affordable energy supplies, efficiency improvements, essential infrastructure, sustainable environmental policies and public education on energy issues.

A business leader who has participated in the inner workings of multiple industries for over 40 years, Hofmeister also has held executive leadership positions in General Electric, Nortel and AlliedSignal (now Honeywell International).

Hofmeister served as the Chairman of the National Urban League and Chairman of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technical Advisory Committee.  He serves as non-executive Director of Hunting plc, London; Applus+, Barcelona, and Global Geoscience, Sydney; and he was formerly Chairman of Erin Energy Corp’s board of directors in Houston. He also serves on the Advisory Board of Liberty Power of Fort Lauderdale, the nation’s largest minority-owned power company.

Hofmeister also serves on the boards of the Foreign Policy Association, Strategic Partners, LLC; and the Gas Technology Institute.  Hofmeister is a Fellow of the National Academy of Human Resources.  He also is a past Chairman and serves as a Director Emeritus of the Greater Houston Partnership. He is the author of Why We Hate the Oil Companies: Straight Talk from an Energy Insider (Palgrave Macmillan, 2010).

Hofmeister serves as a Wrigley Scholar in the Global Institute of Sustainability at Arizona State University.  He is also a Lecturer at the University of Houston and Kansas State University.

Hofmeister earned Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Political Science from Kansas State University.  In May 2010 he was awarded an honorary doctorate of letters from the University of Houston and from Kansas State University in 2014. 

Recordings

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Podcast

Can California Go Carbon Neutral?

February 14, 2019
Just ten years ago, an entire state running on 100% renewable electricity seemed fanciful. But this dreamy vision became reality when, with the...
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Podcast

Resource Revolution

June 9, 2014
Today’s two billion middle class consumers will more than double globally over the next two decades. But while cities in China, India and other...
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Podcast

Environmental Debt

July 9, 2013
There is a pattern between the way we do business and the changes in our climate. “The companies that are the biggest polluters make the biggest...
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Podcast

Carbon Math

November 9, 2012
Activist Bill McKibben and former president of Shell Oil Company John Hofmeister come together at Climate One to discuss the current state of the...