Dive Brief:
- HF Sinclair announced this week that it has appointed Steven Ledbetter to president and chief operating officer and Valerie Pompa to president of growth, technology and transformation.
- The promotions, disclosed in a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing on Wednesday, also removed interim President and CEO Franklin Myers from the president role, though he continues to serve as interim CEO.
- Myers said in the filing that the shift is “an important step forward” for Sinclair, which saw former President and CEO Tim Go exit under unique circumstances earlier this summer.
Dive Insight:
Myers has served as interim president and CEO since February, when Go took a leave of absence amid concerns that he had created an unfavorable "tone at the top" related to Sinclair's 2025 disclosure processes. While the company ultimately concluded that Go had not created an unfavorable tone, it said it identified separate concerns about his communications with management during the disclosure process. Go officially left the company in May.
With these appointments, Sinclair is separating the CEO and president roles. Other convenience retailers have taken a similar approach, allowing CEOs to focus on long-term strategy while presidents oversee day-to-day operations.
Sinclair will now have two new presidents in Ledbetter, who is being promoted from his role as executive vice president of commercial, and Pompa, who formerly served as EVP of operations. Ledbetter joined Sinclair in 2023 while Pompa has been with the organization since 2020, per the filing.
As president and COO, Ledbetter will oversee Sinclair’s operations and commercial organizations and advance the company’s strategic priorities, including improving safety and reliability, enhancing cost efficiency and unlocking value across the business, Myers said in the filing.
“Steve’s commercial and operational experience from his long tenure in the energy industry along with his deep knowledge of our integrated value chain will be invaluable as we sharpen execution and drive continued value creation,” Myers said.
Meanwhile, as president of growth, technology and transformation, Pompa will lead Sinclair’s enterprise-wide growth and transformation priorities, including overseeing the company’s technology strategy and deployment, Myers said.
“Valerie is a highly respected leader who has consistently demonstrated strong operational judgment and driven improvements in our turnarounds and project execution capabilities,” Myers added.
Ledbetter and Pompa will likely play a role in Sinclair’s latest convenience retail joint venture with holding company UPOP Holdings that provides Sinclair with a 50% non-operating interest in 30 sites across Colorado and New Mexico. Sinclair supplies fuel from its regional refineries to the locations, while UPOP operates the stores.
