Exxon Mobil (NYSE: XOM) Chief Executive Rex Tillerson keeps a low profile. How low? His picture is not provided in his official corporate biography as it is for other top executives.
That is not necessarily a bad thing. Investors try to keep an eye on any evidence of egotistical CEO behavior such as how often his picture appears in the annual report or how often he is quoted in company press releases. Of course, it’s not any exact science but CEOs who think only of themselves usually could care less about their shareholders. That is certainly not the case with Irving, Texas-based Exxon Mobil.
Last week, the world’s largest publicly traded oil company (and one of the few publicly traded firms still larger than Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: APPL) reported that second quarter profit more than doubled, which beat Wall Street’s already-lofty expectations. Shares of Exxon Mobil are down 9 percent this year amid continued worries about a possible double-dip recession.
Exxon Mobil’s corporate security probably encouraged Tillerson to try to stay as anonymous as possible. After all, Democrats and environmentalists continue to blast big oil when they discuss America’s dependence on black gold. The company’s outsized profits also regularly trigger calls for a windfall profits tax.
Besides, there is little upside to being a famous oil company CEO. Just ask Tony Hayward of BP Plc. (NYSE: BP)
Jonathan Berr
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