Thomas C. (Tom) Knudson is an experienced corporate director and executive who currently serves as a director of Ergon Inc. He formerly served as Chairman of Bristow Group Inc., Midstates Petroleum Inc., lead director of Natco Group Inc., and as a director of Williams Partners Inc. and MDU Resources Inc. He retired from Conoco Phillips on January 1, 2004.
His diverse career included engineering, operations, business development and commercial assignments across a broad spectrum of Conoco’s businesses. Among his more significant assignments were managing director and CEO of DuPont Scandinavia in Stockholm, Sweden; and vice president and general manager for Conoco’s midstream natural gas business. In June 1997, he became chairman of Conoco Exploration Production Europe Limited, based in London accountable for Conoco’s upstream businesses in Europe and the Former Soviet Union. He returned to Houston in July 2000, to become senior vice president, human resources, IT, public and governmental affairs, and communications, serving prior to his retirement as a member of the management and executive committees of both Conoco and ConocoPhillips.
A native of Texas, Knudson received a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1967 and a master’s degree in aerospace engineering from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in 1968. While at Annapolis, he captained the rowing team and was a member of the 1965 national champion varsity eight.
Following graduation, he served as a naval aviator flying 170 missions in S.E. Asia and was selected two years early for Lieutenant Commander, his rank at the time of his discharge in 1974.
Knudson serves on the Board of Directors of the U.S. Naval Academy Foundation, the National Council of the Methodist Hospital Neurological Institute and Board of Directors of the National Association of Corporate Directors, (NACD) Texas Tri-Cities Chapter. He has held the designation of Board Leadership Fellow from the NACD since 2012.
He was the founding chairman of the Business Council for Sustainable Development – USA as well as the BCSD – UK.
He has served on the boards of a number of petroleum industry associations, Covenant House Texas, Episcopal Seminary of the Southwest, and The Houston Museum of Natural Science. He has served as an adjunct professor of management at the Jones School at Rice University. He and his wife, Candy, have three grown children, six grandchildren, and have homes in Houston and Fredericksburg TX.