William J. O’Brien IV – Senior Vice President, Exploration & Production
William O’Brien, IV, as the Roman Numerals indicate, has assured that the O’Brien Family’s leadership in Oil & Gas continues into a fourth generation. His first exposure to the industry came by watching and listening as his father, O’Brien Energy CEO Bill O’Brien, guided O’Brien Energy Company development from its inception. William joined the company in 2010 as Vice-President of Acquisitions, Planning & Development. He was promoted to the position of Senior Vice President-Exploration & Production Operations later that same year. As his father before him, William’s first hands-on experience in the industry came in the field, working as a roustabout at age 17.
William’s hands-on, bottom to top experience grew during his summer breaks while studying Petroleum Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. He interned each of those summers, focusing on different aspects of the industry at some of the leading companies in the business, such as Total Fina Elf, Pioneer Natural Resources, Conoco Phillips, and Devon Energy. That experience gave William insight into the intricacies of production & reservoir engineering in the Permian Basin, South Texas Wilcox Trend, and the East Texas Basin.
William began his energy industry career at Devon Energy in 2007. He served as a production, drilling, and reservoir engineer in the South Texas and East Texas districts, which yielded him a deep working knowledge of many of the areas in which O’Brien Energy has concentrated its interests.
William O’Brien, IV, holds a Bachelor of Science in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, and a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) with an Energy Finance and Accounting Certificate from the University of Houston.
