Profile: Jeremy Thigpen
We talk with the young president of National Oilwell Varco’s downhole tools division
When National Oilwell Varco (NOV) acquired NQL Energy Services in January, it not only merged two of the largest independent providers of downhole tools in the industry, it marked a 115-year trajectory as a leading energy services company in North America. Although his time at the helm was limited to about a week, former NQL CEO Jeremy Thigpen appears to be among the industry’s younger bright lights as he continues his tenure with NOV as president of their downhole tools division. AO spoke with
Mr. Thigpen from his Houston office.
AO: At 32, you’re relatively young to be assuming the role and responsibilities of President and CEO of NQL. No doubt age in this case is a red herring, but can you give us a rundown of your education and background to put the herring in perspective?
JT: As a preface to answering that question, it is important to communicate that NQL was officially de-listed on Jan. 17, so my tenure as the CEO of a publicly traded company was extremely short-lived.
With respect to education and background, I attended Rice University on a football scholarship where I earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in May of ‘97 while majoring in both Economics and Managerial Studies. While I had worked for National Oilwell (prior to the Varco acquisition) during Christmas and Summer breaks throughout my high school and university years, I had not really considered life after football and had no aspirations of entering a career in the oil & gas industry. Then, after accepting the harsh reality that I would not be drafted or invited to even audition for any NFL teams, I was fortunate enough to secure an interview with Pete Miller, a Vice President of National Oilwell, and began my career the Monday following my graduation. Since that time, I’ve worked in a number of functional responsibilities in a number of geographic areas, and have been the President of National Oilwell Varco’s Downhole Tools Group for almost four years.
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