25 Essential Thought Leaders in Pipelines Globally (2026)

Last updated: June 2026

If you search "influential leaders in pipelines," you are likely looking for the people shaping the future of oil and gas pipeline infrastructure, not a list of talent development experts or sales funnel coaches, though you may find those first. This directory is for the professionals, advocates, executives, and engineers who are actively shaping how the world builds, operates, regulates, and reimagines the physical pipelines that move energy across continents.

As of June 2026, the global pipeline industry is navigating one of the most consequential periods in its history. Global oil demand surpassed 105 million barrels per day in 2025, according to OPEC's Annual Statistical Bulletin, a record high driven by broad-based growth across non-OECD Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. The United States pipeline network alone covers approximately 3 million miles, according to PHMSA, the federal pipeline safety regulator. North American midstream investment opportunities now exceed $106 billion with more than 11,000 kilometres of new pipeline projects planned, according to the Midstream Engineering and Construction Conference 2026.

Against this backdrop, the voices leading the public conversation about pipeline safety, regulation, technology, energy transition, and global infrastructure have never mattered more.

The 25 people compiled here were selected for active, original thought leadership on LinkedIn and in industry media in 2025 and 2026. This is not a list of the largest pipeline companies or the highest market-cap executives. It is a list of the people who show up in the conversation publicly, week after week, and who shape how the industry thinks about itself. The list spans pipeline safety advocacy, midstream operations, ILI technology, regulatory affairs, industry media, energy infrastructure investment, and pipeline advocacy across six countries.

If your leadership team in the pipeline or energy sector needs help facilitating the strategic conversations that determine how you navigate this moment, Jonno White is a Certified Working Genius Facilitator and executive team facilitator who works with energy organisations around the world. Reach out at jonno@consultclarity.org.

Why Pipeline Thought Leaders Matter

The pipeline industry's public conversation directly shapes regulatory outcomes, infrastructure investment, public trust, and workforce development. When a practitioner publishes on LinkedIn about an integrity management breakthrough, or a CEO speaks at CERAWeek about the role of natural gas in the AI data centre boom, or a safety advocate testifies before Congress about the risks of deregulation, those contributions have measurable downstream effects on how pipelines are built and governed globally.

The industry has historically been private, technical, and reluctant to engage in public discourse. That is changing. A new generation of pipeline executives, engineers, and advocates is building public platforms, hosting podcasts, speaking at conferences, and using LinkedIn to translate the complexity of pipeline operations into language that investors, regulators, policymakers, and the public can engage with.

Globally, women account for only 22% of the oil and gas workforce, according to BCG and IEA 2025 data, and a much smaller share of senior leadership. This list deliberately reaches beyond the usual convention-circuit names to include women who are reshaping that ratio, advocates who are challenging the industry from outside it, and practitioners from Nigeria, India, Brazil, and Australia who are building the global pipeline network outside the North American centre of gravity.

How This List Was Compiled

Each leader on this list was selected for a documented, fact-checked contribution to the oil and gas pipeline industry in 2025 or 2026, confirmed through primary sources within the last 12 months. Selection criteria included a current or recent senior role in the pipeline sector, evidence of active LinkedIn presence with original content posted within 60 days, and a public contribution, whether through a podcast, conference keynote, media commentary, industry publication, or advocacy work, that went beyond their organisation's corporate communications. The list reaches across pipeline safety, operations, technology, regulation, advocacy, and investment to reflect the full breadth of the conversation.

Category 1: Pipeline Safety and Advocacy

1. Mark LaCour

Oil and Gas Global Network

Mark LaCour is the Editor-in-Chief and Co-founder of the Oil and Gas Global Network, the world's largest podcast network dedicated to the oil and gas industry, based in Houston, Texas. With more than 25 years of experience in the sector, LaCour built OGGN from a single podcast into a multi-show platform that reaches oil and gas professionals globally, with its flagship show ranked in the top 1% of all podcasts worldwide by major distribution platforms.

His specific contribution to the pipeline conversation is his annual Pipeline Predictions episode, recorded jointly with Russel Treat of the Pipeliners Podcast, which has become a reference point for the industry's assessment of what the year ahead will bring in natural gas infrastructure, pipeline integrity, AI adoption, and regulatory direction. His most recent predictions covered subsea pipeline expansion, smart pipeline AI integration, and FERC permitting for off-grid power generation tied to AI data centres. LaCour's platform amplifies voices from across the pipeline value chain in ways that written trade publications cannot match.

2. Bill Caram

Pipeline Safety Trust

Bill Caram is the Executive Director of the Pipeline Safety Trust, the leading independent watchdog on pipeline safety in the United States, based in Bellingham, Washington. The Pipeline Safety Trust was created in the wake of the 1999 Olympic Pipeline tragedy in Bellingham, in which a gasoline spill killed three boys, and it operates as a non-profit advocacy organisation dedicated to ensuring that federal pipeline regulation serves the public rather than the regulated industry.

Caram has become one of the most credible and consistently cited voices in the public debate about pipeline safety regulation. He testified before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in February 2025 on pipeline safety reauthorisation, and his analysis of PHMSA enforcement trends has been cited in major investigative journalism outlets. His active LinkedIn presence and regular podcast appearances on the Pipeliners Podcast bring a public-interest perspective that is rare in an industry-dominated conversation. Organisations leading energy teams can hire Jonno White to facilitate strategic sessions that address the kind of complex safety and regulatory trade-offs that leaders in this industry navigate daily. Email jonno@consultclarity.org.

3. Dr. Martha Acosta

Martha Acosta Safety LLC

Dr. Martha Acosta is the founder of Martha Acosta Safety LLC and the author of Safety Capacity, a framework for building organisational safety culture that goes beyond compliance. She appeared on the Pipeliners Podcast during the API Pipeline Conference in Austin in 2025 to discuss her book and her approach to building the human systems that make safety culture durable.

Her contribution to pipeline thought leadership is the argument that pipeline safety is fundamentally a leadership and organisational capacity problem rather than a technical or regulatory one. Her Safety Capacity framework addresses the question of how organisations build the internal capability to sustain safety performance over time, which is directly relevant to the pipeline industry's challenge of maintaining integrity across geographically distributed, ageing infrastructure. International travel is often far more affordable than energy organisations expect. Whether Jonno White facilitates virtually or in person, reach out at jonno@consultclarity.org.

4. Ahuva Battams

Beatty and Wozniak

Ahuva Battams is Senior Counsel at Beatty and Wozniak, a law firm specialising in pipeline safety, environmental law, and energy regulatory affairs. Battams was a featured speaker at the Midstream Engineering and Construction Conference in Houston in June 2026, addressing the regulatory and environmental landscape for pipelines including FERC, NEPA, and state-level review processes for new pipeline development.

The specific contribution to the pipeline thought leadership conversation is the public communication of regulatory complexity in language that project owners, engineers, and operators can apply. At a moment when the US midstream sector is planning more than $106 billion in new pipeline investment, the regulatory advisory work at Beatty and Wozniak on permitting, environmental review, and community engagement is directly shaping which projects get built and at what pace. Bring Jonno White to facilitate leadership team sessions for your pipeline legal or regulatory team. Email jonno@consultclarity.org.

Category 2: Pipeline Operations and Industry Leadership

5. Melanie Little

Colonial Pipeline

Melanie Little is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Colonial Pipeline, the largest refined petroleum products pipeline system in the United States, moving approximately 100 million gallons of fuel daily to serve 50 million Americans across 14 states. She joined Colonial in January 2023, bringing more than two decades of midstream experience including her prior role as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Magellan Midstream Partners.

A West Point graduate with a Master of Science in Civil Engineering from Georgia Tech and a veteran of the US Army and Army Reserve, Little is one of the most credentialed leaders in the midstream sector. She has been recognised as one of the 25 Influential Women in Energy, and she serves on the boards of the American Petroleum Institute and the Liquid Energy Pipeline Association. Her public commentary on pipeline safety culture, workforce development, and the role of refined products pipelines in national energy security gives the Colonial platform a voice that goes well beyond corporate communications. For executive team facilitation at Colonial Pipeline or similar energy infrastructure organisations, email jonno@consultclarity.org.

6. Shawn Patterson

Southern Star Central Gas Pipeline

Shawn Patterson is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Southern Star Central Gas Pipeline, a natural gas transmission company serving the US Midwest, and the 2026 Board Chair of the Southern Gas Association. He joined Southern Star in 2017 as Chief Operations Officer, having previously served as Senior Vice President of Operations at TransCanada Pipeline USA and Chief Operating Officer at Columbia Pipeline Group, and was confirmed as President and CEO in 2022.

His specific contribution to pipeline thought leadership is his public voice on the future of natural gas infrastructure, workforce transition, and safety culture. His appearance on the Pipeliners Podcast in 2026 addressed the forces reshaping the natural gas industry including AI demand, infrastructure modernisation, and the long-term outlook for pipeline companies. His leadership of the SGA as 2026 Board Chair positions him as a key voice in how the natural gas transmission industry navigates the AI data centre supercycle and its implications for pipeline capacity investment. Engage Jonno White for leadership development with pipeline operations teams. Email jonno@consultclarity.org.

7. Steve Davies

Australian Pipelines and Gas Association

Steve Davies is the Chief Executive of the Australian Pipelines and Gas Association, the peak industry body representing the owners, operators, designers, constructors, and service providers of Australia's pipeline infrastructure. APGA members move approximately 28% of Australia's end-use energy through the country's gas pipeline network.

Davies has been an active and credible voice in Australia's gas policy debate at a moment when the federal government's domestic gas reservation scheme, infrastructure investment decisions, and renewable gas development are all intersecting in ways that will shape the network for decades. His public commentary, including representation at the Australian Energy Producers Conference in May 2026, reflects a leader who engages substantively with policy complexity rather than retreating to advocacy platitudes. To book Jonno White for Australian pipeline or energy sector leadership work, email jonno@consultclarity.org. Many organisations find that flying Jonno to your city costs less than engaging high-profile local consultants.

8. Tina Faraca

TC Energy

Tina Faraca is the Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer of TC Energy, one of North America's largest energy infrastructure companies with more than 90,000 kilometres of natural gas pipelines across Canada, the United States, and Mexico. She joined TC Energy in April 2025, bringing 18 years of prior experience at Spectra Energy where she held senior leadership positions including President of Maritimes and Northeast Pipeline. She also serves as an independent director of UGI Corporation.

Her specific contribution to the pipeline public conversation is her focus on the intersection of natural gas pipeline infrastructure and the AI data centre power demand surge. Her active LinkedIn presence addresses the strategic opportunity for pipeline companies to position themselves as indispensable partners in the digital infrastructure boom, alongside her work on industry advocacy through the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America. Whether virtual or in person, engage Jonno White to facilitate leadership sessions for TC Energy or similar pipeline organisations. Email jonno@consultclarity.org.

Category 3: Pipeline Industry Media and Education

9. Russel Treat

EnerSys Corporation / Pipeline Podcast Network

Russel Treat is the founder and CEO of EnerSys Corporation and the host of the Pipeliners Podcast, the primary weekly podcast for pipeline industry professionals. Launched in November 2017, the podcast has produced more than 400 episodes covering alarm management, compliance, control room management, cybersecurity, SCADA, inspection, integrity, leak detection, measurement, and regulatory issues.

What makes the Pipeliners Podcast distinctive in the pipeline thought leadership landscape is its weekly cadence, its technical rigour, and its ability to bring together practitioners, regulators, association leaders, and technology providers in a format that working pipeliners actually use for professional development. His annual predictions episode with Mark LaCour has become one of the most downloaded episodes in the pipeline media calendar. The fact that former PHMSA administrators are among his most regular guests reflects the trust the pipeline community places in this platform. Jonno White facilitates leadership and team development sessions for energy organisations and their executives. Email jonno@consultclarity.org.

10. Paige LaCour

Oil and Gas Global Network

Paige LaCour is the Co-founder of the Oil and Gas Global Network and the host of the Oil and Gas Industry Leaders podcast. With a regulatory and compliance background in the oil and gas sector, she brings a practitioner's perspective to the conversations she hosts on the OGGN network, which is the largest podcast network serving the global oil and gas industry.

Her specific contribution to the pipeline conversation is the Oil and Gas Industry Leaders show, which features interviews with senior executives across the oil and gas value chain, including pipeline company leaders and midstream executives. Her active LinkedIn presence engages with regulatory developments, industry conferences, and the community of oil and gas professionals that the OGGN network serves. Organisations in the oil and gas sector can engage Jonno White for executive offsites and team facilitation. Email jonno@consultclarity.org.

Category 4: Pipeline Safety Technology and Integrity

11. Marc Lamontagne

Lamontagne Pipeline Assessment Corporation

Marc Lamontagne is the founder of Lamontagne Pipeline Assessment Corporation and one of the most widely recognised experts in inline inspection technology for oil and gas pipelines. He appeared in a multi-episode series on the Pipeliners Podcast in early 2026 covering the full arc of inline inspection technology, from the history of pigging through magnetic flux leakage tools, ultrasonic inspection, crack detection, and the use of data analytics in integrity management.

His specific contribution to pipeline thought leadership is his ability to translate the technical complexity of ILI into accessible practical guidance for pipeline operators, integrity engineers, and regulators. In an industry where data collection is outpacing data interpretation, his work on what operators should do with the data they are collecting addresses one of the most pressing operational challenges facing pipeline companies globally. Bring Jonno White to facilitate leadership team sessions for pipeline technology organisations. Email jonno@consultclarity.org.

12. Anne-Marie Ainsworth

Energy Consulting

Anne-Marie Ainsworth is a former CEO of a midstream pipeline company and one of the most experienced women in the US pipeline sector, with a career spanning more than two decades at some of the largest refining and midstream organisations in the industry. Her background includes roles as General Manager at Shell Norco Refinery and later as CEO of Midcoast Energy, where she led a midstream pipeline and gathering company through a period of significant operational transformation.

Her contribution to pipeline thought leadership comes through her active speaking and mentorship work, including her appearance on the Global Business Women's podcast where she addressed the journey from chemical engineering graduate to CEO of a midstream pipeline company, and the leadership lessons that define safe operations in high-consequence environments. International travel is often more affordable than energy organisations expect. Engage Jonno White for leadership work with pipeline organisations. Email jonno@consultclarity.org.

Category 5: Pipeline Regulation and Policy

13. Mason Hamilton

American Petroleum Institute

Mason Hamilton is the Vice President of Economics and Research at the American Petroleum Institute, the largest trade association for the US oil and natural gas industry. Before joining API, he served as a natural gas market analyst at the US Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration and at the International Energy Forum. He presented a webinar for the Young Pipeline Professionals USA in February 2026 on the current state of US economic and financial markets and what those conditions mean for oil and natural gas.

His specific contribution to pipeline thought leadership is his ability to translate macroeconomic conditions, including tariff impacts, AI data centre demand growth, and global supply dynamics, into practical implications for pipeline operators and investors. His perspective bridges the gap between national energy policy and day-to-day pipeline business decisions in a way that few analysts can. Engage Jonno White to facilitate leadership strategy sessions for energy policy organisations and pipeline trade bodies. Email jonno@consultclarity.org.

14. David Murk

American Petroleum Institute

David Murk is a Director at the American Petroleum Institute focused on the pipeline, control room, and cybernetics portfolio. He has appeared multiple times on the Pipeliners Podcast to discuss the API Pipeline Conference and the evolution of the conference's programme, which covers pipeline safety, regulatory developments, and workforce training.

His contribution to pipeline thought leadership is his role in organising and framing the annual gathering of the pipeline industry's technical and regulatory community, and his public communications about the themes shaping pipeline safety policy in the United States. His participation in the Pipeliners Podcast's coverage of the API conference connects the trade association's work to the practitioner community in a direct and accessible way. Book Jonno White for leadership facilitation at pipeline industry association events and member organisations. Email jonno@consultclarity.org.

15. Charles McConnell

University of Houston

Charles McConnell is the Executive Director of Carbon Management and Energy Sustainability at the University of Houston's Cullen College of Engineering. He appeared as a speaker at the Midstream Engineering and Construction Conference in Houston in June 2026, addressing the design and execution of CO2 pipelines, which are among the most technically complex and rapidly developing areas of pipeline infrastructure globally.

His contribution to pipeline thought leadership is at the intersection of pipeline engineering and carbon capture infrastructure. As the US midstream sector navigates the challenge of repurposing or constructing new CO2 pipeline networks to support carbon capture and storage, the academic and technical research framework that McConnell leads at the University of Houston is providing the intellectual infrastructure for a new category of pipeline construction. Engage Jonno White for team facilitation in energy transition and infrastructure organisations. Email jonno@consultclarity.org.

16. Robert Smith

Cheniere Energy

Robert Smith is the Vice President of Regulatory Affairs at Cheniere Energy, one of the world's largest LNG producers and a major natural gas pipeline customer in the United States. He was a featured speaker at the Midstream Engineering and Construction Conference in Houston in June 2026, addressing regulatory and environmental frameworks for new pipeline development including FERC, NEPA, and state-level review processes.

His contribution to pipeline thought leadership is his front-line engagement with the regulatory process for new natural gas infrastructure at a moment when LNG export demand is creating significant pressure for new pipeline capacity along the Gulf Coast. His public participation in industry conferences on regulatory approaches reflects a practitioner's engagement with the policy environment rather than pure corporate advocacy. Jonno White works with energy infrastructure organisations on leadership development and team strategy. Email jonno@consultclarity.org.

Category 6: International Pipeline Leadership

17. Greg Ebel

Enbridge

Greg Ebel is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Enbridge, the world's largest energy infrastructure company by enterprise value, with more than 40,000 kilometres of crude oil and liquid pipelines and more than 100,000 kilometres of natural gas pipelines across North America. He joined Enbridge's Board of Directors in 2017 and took on the CEO role following the company's transformation from primarily a crude oil pipeline operator to a diversified energy infrastructure company.

His specific contribution to pipeline thought leadership is his public engagement with the most contested questions in the North American pipeline landscape, including the West Coast crude oil pipeline debate in Canada, the role of natural gas infrastructure in supporting AI data centre power demand, and Enbridge's positioning as a full-cycle energy infrastructure company. His presence at CERAWeek for 23 consecutive years and his active LinkedIn commentary on Enbridge's field visits and strategy reflect an executive who understands that the public conversation about pipelines is as important as the physical infrastructure. Engage Jonno White for executive offsite facilitation and leadership team sessions at major pipeline infrastructure organisations. Email jonno@consultclarity.org.

18. Matthew Akman

Enbridge

Matthew Akman is the Executive Vice President and President of Gas Transmission at Enbridge, overseeing the company's natural gas pipeline network spanning 31 US states, four Canadian provinces, and offshore areas in the Gulf of Mexico. He assumed this role in January 2026 following the transition of his predecessor to a Special Advisor role.

His specific contribution to the pipeline thought leadership conversation is his leadership of one of the industry's most consequential strategic pivots in 2025 and 2026: Enbridge's positioning of its gas pipeline infrastructure as essential backbone for AI data centre power generation, including partnerships with major technology companies to deliver gas-fired power directly to data campus locations. This repositioning of natural gas pipelines as active participants in the digital economy infrastructure represents one of the most significant strategic reframings in the midstream sector's recent history. Organisations navigating major strategic transitions can engage Jonno White for executive team facilitation. Email jonno@consultclarity.org.

19. Michele Harradence

Enbridge Gas

Michele Harradence is the Executive Vice President and President of Gas Distribution and Storage at Enbridge, overseeing the company's gas utilities and distribution network across Ontario and Quebec. She has been featured in Enbridge's Learning from Leaders series, discussing the impact that natural gas utilities make in the communities they serve.

Her contribution to pipeline thought leadership, specifically in the gas distribution and storage segment, addresses the community dimension of pipeline infrastructure: how utilities maintain public trust, build relationships with Indigenous communities and local governments, and communicate the role of gas infrastructure in energy affordability. In a regulatory environment where social licence for pipeline development is as important as physical engineering, her public voice on how infrastructure companies build and maintain community relationships is directly relevant to how the industry navigates its future. Bring Jonno White in for leadership facilitation with your gas utility or pipeline organisation. Email jonno@consultclarity.org.

20. NJ Ayuk

African Energy Chamber

NJ Ayuk is the Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber, the leading advocacy and industry body for Africa's oil and gas sector. He is the author of three books: Big Barrels: African Oil and Gas and the Quest for Prosperity, Billions at Play: The Future of African Energy, and A Just Transition: Making Energy Poverty History with an Energy Mix. He was named among the Most Influential Africans of 2025 by New African magazine.

His specific contribution to the pipeline conversation is his sustained advocacy for pipeline infrastructure development across Africa at a moment when Western financial institutions are restricting fossil fuel lending. His work includes advocacy for the East African Crude Oil Pipeline, which will transport oil from Uganda's Lake Albert oilfields to the Tanzanian coast, and broader arguments about Africa's right to develop its hydrocarbon resources. The pipeline infrastructure debate in Africa intersects directly with questions of sovereignty, development finance, and energy equity that Ayuk has become the most globally prominent voice in articulating. Many organisations find that flying Jonno White to your engagement costs less than working with local high-profile providers. Email jonno@consultclarity.org.

21. Sandeep Kumar Gupta

GAIL (India) Limited

Sandeep Kumar Gupta is the Chairman and Managing Director of GAIL (India) Limited, India's largest natural gas company, which owns and operates approximately 13,722 kilometres of natural gas pipelines as part of India's National Gas Grid. In January 2026, he outlined GAIL's plan for a further 3,000 kilometre expansion of its pipeline network in an interview with The Core Report, describing the company's strategy for extending the gas grid to cover more of India's industrial geography.

His specific contribution to pipeline thought leadership is his public articulation of the scale and pace of pipeline infrastructure development required to support India's energy transition, including the role of city gas distribution networks, the challenges of financing pipeline construction across diverse geographies, and the intersection of pipeline development with India's decarbonisation ambitions through renewable natural gas and hydrogen blending. Organisations in the Indian energy sector can engage Jonno White for leadership facilitation. Email jonno@consultclarity.org.

22. Dr. Joy Zeluwa Sotunde

Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority

Dr. Joy Zeluwa Sotunde is a Manager and Team Lead in the Distribution Systems, Storage, and Retail Infrastructure division of Nigeria's Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority. She participated in the Global Women in Pipeline panel at the 21st Pipeline Technology Conference, contributing to the international conversation about gender inclusion in the global pipeline workforce.

Her contribution to pipeline thought leadership is both technical and systemic. As a regulatory professional in one of Africa's largest oil and gas producers, her work sits at the intersection of pipeline regulation, infrastructure development, and workforce diversity in a sector that is critical to Nigeria's energy future. Her active participation in international pipeline forums brings the perspective of an African regulatory professional to a conversation that is often dominated by North American and European voices. Engage Jonno White to work with your energy regulatory organisation on leadership development. Email jonno@consultclarity.org.

Category 7: Pipeline Technology and Global Infrastructure

23. Andrea Grover

Enbridge

Andrea Grover is the Vice President of Stakeholder and Indigenous Engagement at Enbridge, based in Houston, where she has worked for more than 20 years in roles spanning public affairs, communications, sustainability, and stakeholder engagement. She assumed her current role in April 2025, with responsibility for coordinating engagement with community members, Indigenous leaders, public officials, media, regulators, and landowners regarding Enbridge's pipeline assets and expansion projects.

Her specific contribution to pipeline thought leadership is her public work on how major pipeline infrastructure companies build and maintain social licence with the communities through which their systems pass. Her long tenure at the company and her current role coordinating engagement across the US and Canada give her a comprehensive perspective on what authentic stakeholder relationships look like in practice. Engage Jonno White for leadership team development with energy infrastructure organisations. Email jonno@consultclarity.org.

24. Caroline Reis

Nova Transportadora do Sudeste

Caroline Reis leads commercial and logistics functions at Nova Transportadora do Sudeste, one of Brazil's largest natural gas pipeline operators, which transports natural gas from the Santos Basin to major Brazilian cities and industrial centres. She was a panellist at the 21st Pipeline Technology Conference, representing the Latin American pipeline community in the global conversation about gender inclusion and technical innovation.

Her contribution to pipeline thought leadership is her voice in the international pipeline community from a Latin American operational context that is often underrepresented in global discussions dominated by North American and European perspectives. Brazil's natural gas infrastructure is expanding rapidly as the country develops its pre-salt offshore gas resources, and the commercial and logistics expertise required to connect new offshore production to existing onshore infrastructure represents some of the most complex pipeline integration work happening globally. Bring Jonno White to facilitate leadership sessions for your Latin American energy organisation. Email jonno@consultclarity.org.

25. Scott Faircloth

Piedmont Natural Gas, a Duke Energy Company

Scott Faircloth leads operations at Piedmont Natural Gas, now a Duke Energy company, one of the largest natural gas distribution utilities in the southeastern United States serving more than one million customers. He appeared on the Pipeliners Podcast in 2026 to discuss the Southern Gas Association's Spring Gas Conference, the value of field experience in pipeline careers, and how industry events drive knowledge sharing and innovation across the pipeline community.

His contribution to pipeline thought leadership is his voice on the workforce and operational dimensions of natural gas distribution, including how distribution utilities build the technical capability of their people and how industry associations create the conditions for knowledge transfer at scale. Practitioners who understand operations and workforce from the inside have a distinctive perspective that executive panels often lack. Engage Jonno White for leadership and team facilitation at gas distribution utilities. Email jonno@consultclarity.org.

Notable Voices We Almost Included

The pipeline sector's thought leadership community is growing rapidly. Several voices came close to making this list. Andrew Peters of Williams Companies is among the most active midstream executives on LinkedIn, regularly posting on energy transition, AI demand, and pipeline strategy. Colin Gruending, EVP and President of Liquids Pipelines at Enbridge, is increasingly visible in the public conversation about crude oil pipeline strategy and energy security. In the integrity management space, Greg Alexander of Audubon brings decades of corrosion control expertise and recent Pipeliners Podcast appearances. Internationally, Tina Zahani Zainuddin represents a new generation of technically sophisticated pipeline professionals in Europe engaging publicly with the industry's most pressing integrity challenges. Any of these would be a worthy addition to a list focused on a different slice of the conversation.

Common Mistakes in Building a Pipeline Leadership Team

Pipeline organisations frequently promote their best technical operators into leadership roles without preparing them for the shift that is required. An exceptional integrity engineer and a leader of an integrity team are not the same role, and the transition demands a deliberate investment in how someone thinks about their work, their relationships with peers and direct reports, and their influence on organisational culture.

The second most common mistake is treating safety culture as a compliance function rather than a leadership function. The leaders on this list who are most consistently influential, from Bill Caram at the Pipeline Safety Trust to Melanie Little at Colonial Pipeline to Dr. Martha Acosta's framework in Safety Capacity, are unified by one belief: that pipeline safety is primarily a leadership and culture problem. Incident investigation reports can document what failed technically. They rarely document the leadership failures that made technical failure possible.

The third mistake is building leadership teams that are too internally homogeneous, not just in demographics but in perspective, experience, and risk tolerance. The pipeline industry operates in a politically complex, environmentally scrutinised, and technically demanding environment. Teams that have never been challenged to think about their work from the perspective of regulators, communities, or investors tend to be slower to recognise when their assumptions are no longer working. Building cross-functional leadership literacy, including regulatory, financial, community, and technical perspectives, is one of the most valuable investments a pipeline organisation can make.

Jonno White is the author of Step Up or Step Out (10,000+ copies sold), a Certified Working Genius Facilitator, and a leadership consultant who works with energy organisations on the team dynamics, leadership transitions, and facilitated strategic sessions that move organisations forward. Reach out at jonno@consultclarity.org.

Implementation Guide: Following Pipeline Leaders Who Will Make You Think Differently

Start with the people in this directory who are furthest from your current role and sector. If you work in pipeline integrity, follow the regulatory voices (Bill Caram, Mason Hamilton) and the industry media voices (Mark LaCour, Russel Treat). If you are in regulatory affairs, follow the operators and the technology practitioners. Cross-functional perspective is where the most valuable insight lives.

For LinkedIn specifically, the pipeline community has a distinctive engagement culture. Comments that contribute technical or operational perspective tend to receive substantive responses from the people on this list. This is not a community that rewards shallow engagement. If you add something specific, you will usually get something specific back.

For podcasts, the Pipeliners Podcast and the Oil and Gas Global Network shows are the two highest-volume sources of pipeline-specific thought leadership audio in the world. Following both gives you a comprehensive view of what the North American pipeline community is thinking about week by week. For the international and safety advocacy perspectives, the Pipeline Safety Trust's annual conference content and APGA's publications in Australia offer a complementary view from outside the operator community.

Consider attending the International Pipeline Conference and Exhibition in Calgary in September 2026, which brings together more than 7,500 pipeline experts from around the world. The IPC is one of the few forums where technical, regulatory, community, and commercial pipeline conversations happen simultaneously under one roof. The people on this list will be there.

Jonno White facilitates executive team offsites and leadership workshops for energy organisations globally. His most-requested keynote in the energy sector is Leading Humans in the Age of AI. Book Jonno at jonno@consultclarity.org. Many organisations find that international travel is far more affordable than working with high-profile local providers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who are the most influential people in the global pipeline industry?

The most influential voices in the global oil and gas pipeline industry in 2026 include a mix of pipeline company CEOs, safety advocates, industry media hosts, and regulatory experts. Melanie Little at Colonial Pipeline, Greg Ebel at Enbridge, and Shawn Patterson at Southern Star Central Gas Pipeline lead some of the most prominent pipeline organisations in North America. Bill Caram at the Pipeline Safety Trust and the API's Mason Hamilton and David Murk represent the regulatory and advocacy dimensions of the conversation. Mark LaCour and Russel Treat at their respective podcast networks are the most listened-to media voices in the sector.

What is the difference between a thought leader in pipelines and a pipeline executive?

Most pipeline executives communicate primarily through investor relations, regulatory filings, and corporate communications. Thought leaders are a subset of those executives, plus practitioners, advocates, researchers, and media professionals, who engage publicly with the ideas shaping the industry. Not every major pipeline CEO is a public thought leader, and some of the most influential pipeline thought leaders, such as Bill Caram, Marc Lamontagne, and Dr. Martha Acosta, are not running major pipeline companies at all.

How can I follow pipeline thought leaders on LinkedIn?

Every person on this list has an active LinkedIn profile. Search by name and organisation. The pipeline community on LinkedIn is relatively tight-knit and engaged, so following and commenting substantively will generally lead to genuine connections with practitioners and leaders who have real insight to share.

Is the pipeline industry declining because of the energy transition?

The pipeline industry is not declining. Global oil demand exceeded 105 million barrels per day in 2025, the highest in history. US natural gas demand is forecast to grow by 19 to 26 billion cubic feet per day by 2030, driven by LNG exports and AI data centre power requirements. Pipeline companies are investing tens of billions of dollars in new capacity. The energy transition creates new categories of pipeline work including CO2 pipelines for carbon capture, hydrogen pipeline blending and repurposing, and renewable natural gas distribution, while traditional oil and gas pipeline demand remains elevated.

How can Jonno White help pipeline leaders?

Jonno White is a Certified Working Genius Facilitator, author of Step Up or Step Out, and leadership consultant who works with teams in energy organisations around the world on team dynamics, strategic planning, difficult conversations, and high-performance team facilitation. He facilitates executive offsites, Working Genius workshops, and keynote sessions for pipeline and energy sector organisations. Reach out at jonno@consultclarity.org.

Final Thoughts

The pipeline industry is at a crossroads that is simultaneously technical, political, financial, and human. The physical infrastructure that moves energy around the world is being asked to do more than it was designed for, to carry new molecules, to serve new users, to meet new safety standards, to maintain community trust, and to justify itself in a world that is simultaneously more dependent on energy and more concerned about where it comes from.

The 25 people on this list are doing the work of thinking through that complexity publicly and sharing what they find. Following them will not give you easy answers, but it will give you better questions. In an industry where the gap between what the public understands about pipelines and what practitioners know is enormous, the thought leaders who are willing to bridge that gap are doing something genuinely valuable.

The most important resource in the pipeline sector is not the infrastructure itself. It is the people who understand it and who can make decisions about it that communities, investors, and regulators can trust. The leaders on this list are the ones building that trust.

If your leadership team in the pipeline or energy sector needs support navigating the human dimensions of this moment, the working relationships, the strategic alignment, and the culture that makes execution possible, reach out to Jonno White at jonno@consultclarity.org.

About the Author

Jonno White is a Certified Working Genius Facilitator, author of Step Up or Step Out, and leadership consultant who has worked with schools, corporates, and nonprofits around the world. His book Step Up or Step Out has sold over 10,000 copies globally, and his podcast The Leadership Conversations has featured 240+ episodes reaching listeners in 150+ countries. Jonno founded The 7 Questions Movement with 6,000+ participating leaders and achieved a 93.75% satisfaction rating for his Working Genius masterclass at the ASBA 2025 National Conference. Based in Brisbane, Australia, Jonno works globally and regularly travels for speaking and facilitation engagements. Organisations consistently find that international travel is far more affordable than expected. To book Jonno for your next keynote, workshop, or facilitation session, email jonno@consultclarity.org.

Sources

OPEC Annual Statistical Bulletin 2026 (global oil demand). PHMSA Pipeline Safety Data and Statistics (US pipeline network). Midstream Engineering and Construction Conference Houston June 2026 (North American CAPEX data). BCG and IEA 2025 (women in oil and gas workforce). Pipeline Podcast Network (Pipeliners Podcast episode count).

Next Read

For the broader energy and utilities leadership conversation in Australia and New Zealand, keep reading: 50 Essential Thought Leaders in Energy and Utilities in ANZ at consultclarity.org/post/thought-leaders-energy-utilities-anz.