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Who is US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson?

Rex Tillerson appears before the Senate Finance Committee hearing on 'Oil and Gas Tax Incentives and Rising Energy Prices', on Capitol Hill in Washington DC - MICHAEL REYNOLDS/EPA
Rex Tillerson appears before the Senate Finance Committee hearing on 'Oil and Gas Tax Incentives and Rising Energy Prices', on Capitol Hill in Washington DC - MICHAEL REYNOLDS/EPA

Rex Tillerson is the first secretary of state in modern history who had no experience in any public office before he was appointed.

But he had nonetheless already travelled the world, hammering out oil deals on behalf of ExxonMobil with leaders from countries including Nigeria, Yemen, Qatar and Russia. 

Born in Texas, he studied civil engineering at the state's university and joined ExxonMobil in 1975 as a production engineer. He worked his way up through the ranks, becoming the company's chairman and chief executive in 2006. 

Throughout his 41-year career Mr Tillerson, 64, has perhaps been best known for the decades he spent driving the company's expansion in Russia.

In 1998 he was placed in charge of ExxonMobil's holdings in Russia and in the Caspian Sea, and in 2011 the company signed a deal with Rosneft, Russia's largest state-owned oil firm, for joint oil exploration and production. 

He has had more interactive time with Vladimir Putin than probably any other American with the exception of Henry Kissinger

John Hamre

Together they announced plans to begin drilling in the Russian Arctic, an action that was made economically viable in part because of thinning sea ice resulting from global warming.

Two years later, President Vladimir Putin gave Mr Tillerson the Order of Friendship from Russia. 

"He has had more interactive time with Vladimir Putin than probably any other American with the exception of Henry Kissinger," John Hamre, the president of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank where Mr Tillerson is a board member, told the Wall Street Journal.

ExxonMobil was  forced to suspend its involvement in the Arctic project when the United States imposed sanctions on Russia for annexing Crimea and fueling a war in east Ukraine in 2014.

Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin speaking with ExxonMobil President and Chief Executive Officer Rex Tillerson during the signing of a Rosneft-ExxonMobil strategic partnership agreement in Sochi on August 30, 2011 - Credit: ALEXEY DRUZHININ/AFP PHOTO
Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin speaking with ExxonMobil President and Chief Executive Officer Rex Tillerson during the signing of a Rosneft-ExxonMobil strategic partnership agreement in Sochi on August 30, 2011 Credit: ALEXEY DRUZHININ/AFP PHOTO

The company's head of Russian operations has said it is waiting until sanctions are lifted to resume the project. That creates a potential conflict of interest that will set alarm bells ringing in Kiev, but it may also worry Nato allies such as the Baltic States, which see a strong line on sanctions and the Ukraine crisis is seen as key to regional security. 

Alexei Pushkov, a hawkish member of the Russian upper house, described Mr Tillerson on Twitter as "by definition a pragmatist, with great experience of Russia", and praised Mr Trump as "not a coward" for making the appointment. 

ExxonMobil explores for oil and gas on six of the world’s seven continents and has operations in more than 50 countries.

Mr Tillerson owns ExxonMobil shares worth $151 million (£119 million), according a recent securities filing. His compensation package last year was $27.2 million (£21.5 million). 

His job has involved some thorny political negotiation. Shortly after he became chairman of the company, Hugo Chavez, Venezuela's socialist president moved to nationalise the assets of several foreign oil companies, including ExxonMobil.

Profile | Rex Tillerson
Profile | Rex Tillerson

Whilst many others sought to negotiate, ExxonMobil took Venezuela to international arbitration court, winning a $1.6 billion (£1.3 billion) compensation package in 2014. 

His position on climate may actually be to the Left of Donald Trump. Whilst Mr Trump has described the link between carbon emissions and global warming a "hoax", Mr Tillerson has called the phenomena "real" and "serious". 

ExxonMobil only recently publicly recognised the threat to the planet from fossil fuel emissions, but the company moved towards identifying solutions to the problem whilst under his leadership.

Mr Tillerson, who is a conservative, supported Jeb Bush, Mr Trump's failed rival for the Republican nomination during the party's primary elections last year. 

A life long Boy Scout, he rose to become president of the organisation. In 2013 he played an instrumental role in changing policy to allow gay youths to participate.

Donald Trumps team
Donald Trumps team