Ryan M. Lance is chairman and chief executive officer of ConocoPhillips, the world’s largest independent exploration and production company based on production and reserves. He has held this position since mid-2012.

Lance is a petroleum engineer with nearly 30 years of oil and natural gas industry experience in senior management and technical positions with ConocoPhillips, predecessor Phillips Petroleum and various divisions of ARCO. His past executive assignments with ConocoPhillips have included responsibility for international exploration and production, regional responsibility at various times for Asia, Africa, the Middle East and North America, and responsibility for technology, major projects, downstream strategy, integration and specialty functions.

Previously Lance spent 17 years with ARCO, ultimately heading Western North Slope operations in Alaska after serving in management, engineering and operations positions.

Lance serves as chairman of the Executive Committee for ConocoPhillips. He is an advocate for charities benefiting youth through his service on the board of Spindletop International. Lance also serves on the board of directors for the Montana Tech Foundation and on the advisory council of the University of Texas Energy Institute.

He is a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in petroleum engineering from Montana Tech in Butte in 1984.