Top 50 Emerging Leaders 2021 continued (in alphabetical order by CVC unit): Richard Williams, venture executive, Chevron Technology Ventures
Richard Williams has been leading investments for Chevron Technology Ventures (CTV), US-based oil, gas and fuel provider Chevron’s corporate venturing unit, since 2015. He has been “a power house for driving and managing investments impacting digitisation and optimisation in the industry,” said Kemal Anbarci, vice-president and managing executive of CTV.
“Richard’s prior venture capital experience includes his achievements with [oil company] Unocal Corporation, where he founded Unocal Capital, the corporate venture capital (CVC) arm of the firm, and managed several venture investments to significant exits during his assignment as corporate development manager there, before joining Chevron in 2005,” continued Anbarci.
“Richard has board observer roles for several CTV investments, including [compression technology developer] HiCor, [oil and gas services provider] Ziebel, [high-powered laser technology producer] Foro Energy, [document analysis software provider] ThoughtTrace, [industrial cybersecurity software developer] Mission Secure, [food safety software supplier] Corvium, [artificial lift system developer] ZiLift and [downhole technology company] Well Conveyor.”
Regarding his remit, Williams added: “In my current role with Chevron, I identify and pursue investments in promising early-stage companies, including real-time communications, downhole sensors, drones and robotics, and artificial intelligence. I lead evaluation for dozens of companies per month, utilising extensive networking, technology-specific research, and industry panel participation.”
Between Unocal Capital and CTV, Williams’s Chevron journey included roles in corporate treasury as director of international financing, in major refinery operations as finance manager and chief compliance officer as well as commercialisation adviser role in Chevron’s Energy Technology Company.
Williams has an MBA degree in finance and international business from University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business and a bachelor’s in economics from University of Illinois. During his degrees, he participated in exchange programmes with London Business School and University of Oxford. He is a chartered financial analyst and a licensed commercial pilot.
