Les Niemi

Director – Business Development & Special Projects

Les Niemi, Director – Business Development & Special Projects, joined Approach in May of 2012. Mr. Niemi has more than 35 years of exploration, operating and management experience in the oil and gas industry. For the past 14 years, Mr. Niemi has focused on identifying, evaluating and commercializing new plays in multiple U.S. basins, beginning with the Barnett Shale in 2005 and culminating with the stacked-pay potential of the Permian Basin today.

From 1997 to 2012, Mr. Niemi held increasingly responsible geological and exploration / development positions at Pioneer Natural Resources, including International Exploration Manager and Geoscience Advisor. Notably, Mr. Niemi led the teams that were responsible for the discovery, appraisal and commercial development of oil and gas fields in South Africa and Gabon (West Africa). From 1988 to 1997, Mr. Niemi worked for Maxus Energy, providing exploration and development expertise on a variety of domestic and international projects. Les began his career as a geologist with Lear Petroleum Exploration in 1982.

Mr. Niemi is a graduate of Stanford University, with a BA in Economics and MS in Applied Earth Sciences. Les is a Certified Petroleum Geologist and 37-year member of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists.