API announces new executive leadership positions

(WO) – The American Petroleum Institute (API) has named Stephen Comstock as Vice President and Senior Counselor for Policy, Economics and Regulatory Affairs, and promoted Dr. Aaron Padilla to Vice President of Corporate Policy.

“Stephen and Aaron are both leaders in their fields and serve as critical advisors to our member companies and our entire organization, providing insight and expertise on policy issues,” API Senior Vice President of Policy, Economics and Regulatory Affairs Frank Macchiarola said. “Stephen brought together the corporate policy team, and his wealth of knowledge will now continue to guide API’s work across the entire oil and natural gas industry value chain as we navigate the current environment and future challenges, and Aaron’s leadership will continue to be instrumental in helping shape our industry’s work on corporate issues ranging from climate and ESG to tax, trade and operational security.”

Comstock has over 30 years in the industry and has been with API for over 18 years in a number of roles. Prior to API, Comstock was a tax attorney with ExxonMobil in their tax department and provided planning advice for various projects in their upstream, downstream and chemical operations. He has also been an adjunct professor at Georgetown Law School and was formerly chair of the Energy and Environmental Taxes Committee of the American Bar Association’s Tax Section. He received a BA from the University of Texas and a JD from George Washington University.

“I’m proud to now support the development and integration of all our policy teams here at API and I’m looking forward to continuing to help shape and advance industry priorities, from ensuring that American families and businesses have a reliable supply of energy to reducing emissions from industry operations,” Comstock said.

Padilla has 20 years of experience leading work in corporate international affairs and in the environmental and social dimensions of corporate sustainability. Over the course of his career, he has worked in 30 countries across six continents.

Prior to joining API, Padilla worked for Chevron as senior advisor for global issues & public policy and for the environmental consulting firm ERM. Dr. Padilla is a Marshall Scholar and Truman Scholar, and he completed his M.Phil. and Ph.D. at the University of Cambridge. He holds a B.A. from Stanford University, where he studied as a Coca-Cola Scholar and graduated Phi Beta Kappa.