API Awards Its Highest Honor, The Gold Medal To David J. Lesar

API this week awarded its highest honor – the Gold Medal for Distinguished Achievement – to David J. Lesar, Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors of Halliburton Company, the world’s second largest oilfield service provider.

"Dave’s visionary leadership in the industry and generosity to the community made him an easy choice for API’s highest honor,” API President and CEO Jack Gerard said. "Lesar’s unwavering commitment to creating a culture of achievement, inclusion and excellence for Halliburton’s more than 50,000 employees who operate in approximately 70 countries is a model for our industry.”

For more than two decades, Lesar served in senior roles at Halliburton. He was Chief Executive Officer of Halliburton for 17 years. Before joining Halliburton in 1993, Lesar was a partner with Arthur Anderson. He stepped down as CEO in June, but will remain as executive chairman of Halliburton until December 31, 2018, when he reaches the company's mandatory retirement age of 65. Lesar holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Business of Administration from University of Wisconsin – Madison. He serves on the UW Chancellor’s Advisory Council and previously held a position on the board of the Wisconsin School of Business. He also served on the board of directors of the American Petroleum Institute.

Lesar ushered in an era of unprecedented technological innovation at Halliburton, including new research and development, which reduced costs for customers, increased safety, and decreased the company’s environmental footprint. From 1997 to 2001, he oversaw Halliburton's billion-dollar investment in developing technologies. These technologies created products that solved problems, enhanced assets, and delivered long-term value for customers and shareholders.

The Gold Medal award is API’s highest honor for distinguished achievement and has been awarded annually since 1946 when it was first given to Henry Ford, the founder of Ford Motor Company. The award is in recognition of an individual’s exceptional leadership and service to the industry, their community, and the nation. Previous winners include Stephen I. Chazen, former chief executive officer of Occidental Petroleum and J. Larry Nichols, co-founder of Devon Energy Corporation.

About API
API is the only national trade association representing all facets of the oil and natural gas industry, which supports 10.3 million U.S. jobs and nearly 8 percent of the U.S. economy. API’s more than 625 members include large integrated companies, as well as exploration and production, refining, marketing, pipeline, and marine businesses, and service and supply firms. They provide most of the nation’s energy and are backed by a growing grassroots movement of more than 40 million Americans.