FREEPORT LNG BOARD OF MANAGERS
Michael Smith
Chairman, CEO & Founder, Freeport LNG
Michael Smith founded Freeport LNG Development, L.P in 2002 and is the company’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and majority shareholder.
Freeport LNG Development, L.P. owns and operates an LNG terminal on Quintana Island, near Freeport, Texas. It is the seventh largest LNG export facility in the world and the second largest in the United States. The terminal began LNG import operations in June 2008. In May of 2020, Freeport LNG began full, commercial LNG export operations of its three natural gas liquefaction trains. In excess of 15 million metric tonnes per annum (mtpa) of LNG is produced from Freeport’s trains. A fourth liquefaction train remains under development and has received all regulatory approvals. Of the 15 mtpa of Freeport LNG’s export capacity, 13.4 mtpa has been sold to Osaka Gas Co., Ltd., JERA Co., Inc., BP Energy Company, Total Energies and SK E&S LNG, LLC.
Mr. Smith previously founded Basin Exploration, Inc. in 1981 and served as its Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President. Basin was a publicly traded oil and gas company active in the Gulf of Mexico and the Rocky Mountain Region. Mr. Smith successfully negotiated the sale of the company to Stone Energy in February 2001 in a $410 million stock for stock merger.
John Tobola
President
John Tobola joined Freeport LNG in 2006 as Freeport LNG’s Vice President and General Counsel. In 2013, Mr. Tobola was named Senior Vice President of the company, and in 2021, he was named Chief Legal Officer. In May 2023, Mr. Tobola assumed interim leadership of Human Resources for Freeport LNG and was appointed President on Jan 1, 2024.
Mr. Tobola has extensive experience in the LNG industry and large-scale U.S. infrastructure projects, including negotiation and administration of commercial LNG offtake agreements, project structuring, permitting, financing, government affairs, and construction matters related thereto.
Immediately prior to joining Freeport LNG, Mr. Tobola served as senior in-house counsel with Quanta Services, Inc., responsible for Quanta’s acquisition, securities and financing activities. Prior to joining Quanta, Mr. Tobola practiced law in the corporate department of Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP.
Mr. Tobola earned his undergraduate degree from Trinity University in 1994, and earned his law degree with honors from the University of Houston Law Center in 1997.
John M. Duty, Jr
Board Manager
John M. Duty, Jr. became a Director serving on the Board of Freeport LNG in 2014. He served as Chairman of the Construction Committee during the engineering, construction and start-up phases of Freeport’s Liquefaction Trains 1-3. Mr. Duty is retired from Bechtel Corporation, one of the largest Engineering and Construction Companies in the world, where he served as Senior Vice President. During his career at Bechtel, Mr. Duty held positions in engineering, construction and project management, including serving as Manager of Engineering, Regional Office, and Manager and President of Petroleum and Chemical.
Damien Dwin
Board Manager
Damien Dwin is an American businessman and investor who currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Lafayette Square. He founded Lafayette in November of 2020 as a model investment platform that deploys services-backed capital to local communities, independent businesses, and diverse investors, providing a wide range of financial products that create positive impact alongside financial returns. Previously, Mr. Dwin served as Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Brightwood Capital Advisors from its founding in 2010 to October 2020.
Mr. Dwin began his career as a trader with Goldman Sachs, New York & London, there earning the Michael P. Mortara Award for Innovation. He then further developed his investment expertise working for Credit Suisse, where he was the Co-Founder and Head of the North American Special Opportunities business until 2010. At Credit Suisse, Mr. Dwin also served on the Vice President Selection Committee and led the Fixed Income Division Credit Training Program.
Mr. Dwin is an active thought leader on mass incarceration, economic inclusion, racial justice and representation, and the use of purpose and profit for good. He has written for Entrepreneur and Inc.com. A committed philanthropist, Mr. Dwin currently serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees for Vera Institute of Justice. He also serves on the non-profit boards of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Studio Museum in Harlem, National Trust for Historic Preservation, Woodberry Forest School, and Boys’ Club of New York.
Mr. Dwin received a B.S./B.A. from Georgetown University where he later served two terms on the Board of Regents.
Claibourne (Clay) L. Harris
Board Manager
Claibourne (Clay) L. Harris is currently an independent energy advisor providing management advice in the gas and liquefied natural gas industry and expertise in contract disputes. He is the Chairman of Freeport LNG's Audit Committee.
From March 2015 until July 2017, Mr. Harris served as a member of the Board of Hoegh LNG Partners LP (HMPL), a company engaged in the acquisition, ownership, and operations of floating storage and regasification units and other LNG assets. He was also a member of the Audit and Conflicts Committee of HMPL.
From January 2006 until September 2012, Mr. Harris was President and CEO of GDF SUEZ Gas NA · LLC, the business unit of GDF SUEZ North America, Inc. (now Engie NA). He was responsible for managing the company's natural gas activities in North America, including LNG terminal operations, gas sales and marketing in North America, and the Mexican gas distribution and pipeline transportation assets of GDF SUEZ. Mr. Harris joined London-based SUEZ Global LNG in March of 2002 as its Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, and in December of 2002 was promoted to President and CEO of SUEZ Global LNG.
As President and CEO of SUEZ Global LNG, Mr. Harris was responsible for developing and managing the company's shipping assets (LNG vessels), global supply positions and short-term trading as well as managing SUEZ's liquefaction interests in Atlantic LNG, Trinidad. He was a member of the Board of Atlantic LNG Company of Trinidad and Tobago and was a member of the General Management Committee of SUEZ Energy International.
Prior to joining SUEZ, Mr. Harris worked in both downstream and upstream LNG and E&P ventures in North America, Asia, and the Middle East with UNOCAL (now Chevron), Roy M. Huffington Inc., and Enron Corporation.
In 2012/2013, Mr. Harris was the Chairman of the Board of the Natural Gas Supply Association (the trade association representing natural gas suppliers that produce and market natural gas in the United States) and from 2006-2012, a Director and past Chairman of the Center for LNG (CLNG), the trade association representing the LNG industry in the United States.
Atsushi Hozumi
Board Manager
Atsushi Hozumi is Chief Resources Fuels Officer at JERA Americas in Houston. Mr. Hozumi oversees JERA's operating assets including its ownership interests in Freeport LNG and JERA Energy Americas, as well as new business development. He will also oversee JERA's low carbon fuels program to achieve net zero CO2 emission by 2050.
Mr. Hozumi joined JERA Americas from Mitsubishi Corporation where he served most recently as President Director of Donggi Senoro LNG Company based in Indonesia. He also held various leadership roles in US, Japan, and Canada.
Mr. Hozumi has more than 35 years of experience across the global LNG value chain including oil and gas exploration, development and production, LNG and natural gas project development and LNG marketing and trading.
Jelle Kiesling
Board Manager
Jelle Kiesling is a seasoned technical consultant specializing in LNG and energy projects. With over 35 years of experience at Shell, he has held senior management roles in LNG and Gas-to-Liquids (GtL) operations across multiple global locations.
Mr. Kiesling's key assignments include:
Mr. Kiesling holds an MSc in Power Engineering from the University of Delft, Netherlands.
Charles M. Reimer
Board Manager
Charles M. Reimer currently serves as an Executive Advisor to the Chairman and CEO. Mr. Reimer served as Freeport LNG’s President and Chief Operating Officer from its founding until his retirement in April, 2014.
Mr. Reimer has over 47 years of experience in exploration, production, LNG and business development ventures, both domestically and abroad. From 1986 until 1998, Mr. Reimer served as the Virginia Indonesia Company senior executive responsible for the joint venture that operated oil and gas production in Indonesia and provided LNG technical support to the P.T. Badak LNG plant in Bontang, Indonesia. Additionally, during these years Mr. Reimer served, along with Indonesia’s Pertamina executives, on the board of directors of P.T. Badak.
Mr. Reimer began his career with Exxon Company USA in 1967 and held various professional and management positions in Texas and Louisiana. After leaving Exxon, Mr. Reimer was named President of Phoenix Resources Company in 1985 and relocated to Cairo, Egypt, to begin eight years of international assignments in both Egypt and Indonesia.
Prior to joining Freeport LNG, Mr. Reimer was President and Chief Executive Officer of Cheniere Energy, Inc.
Mr. Reimer brings to the Freeport LNG Board extensive expertise in the exploration and production of oil and gas, LNG infrastructure development and operations, and significant executive management experience.
Hugh Urbantke
Board Manager
Hugh Urbantke currently serves as Special Advisor to the Chairman and CEO. He previously served as Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer of Freeport LNG.
Mr. Urbantke has forty years of experience in international business development and operations. He is responsible for commercial development, LNG marketing, finance, accounting, tax, information systems, corporate communications, and office administration. Mr. Urbantke also has thirty five years of experience in the liquefied natural gas industry, including negotiating and administering LNG and gas sales contracts, marine transportation agreements, financing arrangements and terminal use agreements.
Prior to joining Freeport LNG, Mr. Urbantke was Commercial Vice President for BG LNG Services, acquiring and managing LNG supply for BG’s capacity at the Lake Charles, Louisiana, LNG terminal. He also served as Vice President of LNG Business Development for Enron Global LNG in Singapore, responsible for Enron’s Asian LNG development. Prior to his work at Enron, Mr. Urbantke worked in various operations of VICO Indonesia for fifteen years, providing marketing, financial and commercial support for the Indonesian LNG trade.