Events :: Graduate Seminars :: Risk Management by Lee Hightower, Vision Support Systems

Lee Hightower began his professional career with Unocal in 1984, holding various operational, exploration and planning positions during his 12-year tenure. In 1991 he published one of the first papers on applying portfolio optimization in the oil and gas industry. He was Portfolio Coordinator for the World-Wide Oil and Gas Division when he left in 1995 to found Economic Analysis Systems (EAS), a software and consulting company specializing in improving oil companies’ portfolio and risk analysis capabilities. EAS’ client list included many of the major and large independent oil companies. It was acquired by Halliburton in 1999.

In 2000, Mr. Hightower founded Vision Support Systems (VSS), which provides Enterprise Portfolio and Risk Management solutions for the energy industry. At VSS he has developed an economic capital framework and solution to help energy firms improve their financial decision-making. The Committee of Chief Risk Officers, an organization of 40 leading energy firms, incorporated this unique methodology in a recent publication, endorsing it as the state-of-the-art solution for active risk management.

The financial services and insurance industries and the agencies that regulate them have thoroughly embraced the use of economic capital as the framework for managing risk. Mr. Hightower has adapted this methodology to, and implemented it in, the energy industry. This approach represents leading-edge thinking with respect to providing an insightful and comprehensive framework for financial decision-making in the energy industry.

Mr. Hightower received a B.S. in Chemical Engineering (1982) and a M.B.A (1984) from Vanderbilt University and a M.S. in Petroleum Engineering (1989) from the University of Houston. He received his Professional Engineering registration in 1989.