While a "Wildcat" at Brigham Young High School, Paul Van Wagenen was active in Debate, a member of the B.Y. High School Academic Bowl Team, a Youth Senate Representative, and a delegate to both Boys State and the Model United Nations.

In Band he was the Band Manager and Pep Band Director. As a writer and journalist he was Sports Editor of the Y'ld Cat student newspaper, the BYH reporter at KOVO, and a member of the Quill & Scroll writer's club. He was active in Drama, a member of the Science Club, and attended Seminary for four years.

In his senior year, Paul served as President of the Honor Society, and was also elected BYH Student Body Historian.

He graduated from Brigham Young University High School in 1963. He enrolled at BYU where he earned his BA in Political Science in 1970. He earned his JD degree from the University of Washington in 1973.

He then worked for Exxon in a variety of capacities in its Anchorage, Houston, Midland, New Orleans and New York offices.

Exxon made him an offer he couldn’t refuse, launching him on a career in the energy industry that led to his current position as chairman, president and CEO of the Pogo Producing Co. Founded in 1970 and headquartered in Houston, Pogo engages in the exploration, development and production of oil and natural gas in the U.S. and around the world. Revenues topped $1.2 billion in 2005.

Most people in his position bring engineering or geoscience degrees to the table, says Van Wagenen, but it’s not unheard of for someone such as himself -- an attorney with an undergraduate degree in political science -- to run an oil and gas company.

As a lawyer with Exxon and later as Pogo’s general counsel, Van Wagenen soaked up a thorough knowledge of the industry. If oil didn’t flow through his veins when he started, it does now.

“I enjoy the hunt for oil and natural gas,” says Van Wagenen. “When things are challenging, it’s fun, and when things are going well, it’s more fun yet.”

When he’s not in his office, Van Wagenen is often looking over the shoulder of one of the company’s geophysicists, peering at computerized seismic images and “deciding where oil and gas might be hiding in those squiggly lines,” he says. “I’m a novice at it, but I enjoy rubbing elbows with people who are really good at it.”

When Van Wagenen took the helm at Pogo 15 years ago, he was given a green light to chart a new course. Founded in 1970, Pogo was formed with the express purpose of acquiring licenses to drill for oil in newly opened fields in the Gulf of Mexico.

Two decades later under Van Wagenen, Pogo became an international player, acquiring licenses to operate off the coast of Thailand, where it ultimately drilled 500 wells, erected 22 platforms and extracted a trillion cubic feet of oil and natural gas.

As smart as that move was, Van Wagenen didn’t balk when the market dictated dealing away the company’s Thailand licenses last year. “You can’t name your cattle,” he says. “You have to be willing to sell your assets if the price is right.”

Now, after using the $820 million it pocketed from selling its Thai assets to purchase Northrock Resources Ltd. of Canada, Pogo is looking to repeat its overseas success with newly acquired licenses to drill off the coasts of New Zealand and Vietnam. “Early on, they look very exciting to us,” he says.

Pogo's market capitalization was approximately $2.7 billion on December 31, 2005. Pogo's common stock is listed on The New York Stock Exchange, Inc. under the symbol "PPP".

Paul Van Wagenen had been a director of the company since 1988, and in 1991 was appointed Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Pogo Producing Co. Van Wagenen succeeded William C. Liedtke Jr., Pogo founder, who died March 1, 1991.

In 2006, Paul G. Van Wagenen continues to serve as the Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Pogo Producing Company.

Van Wagenen is a member of the All-American Wildcatters and is a member of the National Petroleum Council. He serves as a member of the Executive Committee of the board of directors of the Greater Houston YMCA.

He also serves on the Executive Committee of the board of directors of the National Ocean Industries Association. He is also a director of the Domestic Petroleum Council and a member of the Executive Committee of the U.S. Oil & Gas Association.

Van Wagenen is an active member of the Texas Independent Producers and Royalty Owners Association, the Center for Strategic and International Studies-Houston Roundtable, and the Greater Houston Partnership.

His parents: Dean E. Van Wagenen, and Belle de Jong Van Wagenen [BYH Class of 1936] of Provo, Utah.

FY 2005
Paul Gerrit Van Wagenen
CEO / Chairman of the Board / President / Director
Pogo Producing Company
Houston, Texas
Business: Basic Materials / Independent Oil & Gas
Director since 1988

Paul G. Van Wagenen has been Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company for more than the last five years. Mr. Van Wagenen, 60, has served as a Director of the Company since 1988 and currently serves as the Chairman of the Executive Committee. His present term expires in 2007.
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Annual Cash Compensation
Salary $1,505,625
Bonus $750,000
Latest FY other short-term comp. $206,250
Latest FY other long-term comp. $2,026,620
Latest FY long-term incentive payout $0
Total $4,488,495
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Stock Options
Unexercised - 550,000 - $13,203,063
Unexercisable - n/a - n/a
Total 550,000 - $13,203,063
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