# Chris Chandler

> Chris Chandler is a Houston-based energy executive and UCLA-trained mechanical engineer who returned to Phillips 66 in October 2026 as strategic advisor to the CEO, with a scheduled appointment as executive vice president of Refining on January 1, 2027. Previously COO of Plains All American, he has held refinery, midstream development and corporate strategy roles and served as board chair and capital campaign co-chair at Memorial Assistance Ministries.

- **Role:** Executive Vice President and Strategic Advisor to the CEO at Phillips 66
- **Organizations:** Phillips 66, Plains All American Pipeline, ConocoPhillips, Memorial Assistance Ministries, UCLA Samueli Dean’s Corporate Advisory Board, GPA Midstream Association (former board member), Western States Petroleum Association (former board member)
- **From:** Woodbury, United States
- **Education:** Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles
- **Known for:** Led the Alliance and Los Angeles refineries., Appointed Plains COO effective March 1, 2019, retaining Canadian operations and adding U.S. operations and engineering., Co-chaired the 2018 MAM luncheon with Fiona Chandler; the event raised nearly $500,000.

## Career timeline

- **1994** — Graduated from UCLA with a mechanical engineering degree; began his career at the Los Angeles refinery (career start date not independently specified).
- **2004** — Became operations manager of the Los Angeles Refinery, Wilmington Plant.
- **2007** — Named manager of the Alliance refinery near New Orleans.
- **2010** — Became manager of the Los Angeles refinery for ConocoPhillips.
- **2014** — Became general manager of Natural Gas Liquids and subsequently led Midstream Commercial and Business Development at Phillips 66.
- **2016-2018** — Served as general manager of Corporate Strategy at Phillips 66.
- **2018-05** — Joined Plains as senior vice president of Strategic Planning and Acquisitions.
- **2019-03-01** — Became Plains executive vice president and chief operating officer.
- **2019-2021** — Served as board chair of Memorial Assistance Ministries, according to his LinkedIn profile.
- **2026-10-02** — Departure from Plains effective; Dean Liollio succeeded him as COO.
- **2026-10-06** — Returned to Phillips 66 as strategic advisor to the CEO.
- **2027-01-01 (scheduled)** — Scheduled to become executive vice president, Refining, succeeding Rich Harbison.

## Achievements

- Led the Alliance and Los Angeles refineries.
- Appointed Plains COO effective March 1, 2019, retaining Canadian operations and adding U.S. operations and engineering.
- Co-chaired the 2018 MAM luncheon with Fiona Chandler; the event raised nearly $500,000.
- Co-chaired MAM’s capital campaign with Bill Mearse; the Hamill Education & Workforce Training Center opened in 2026 as part of a $22 million initiative.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — Returned to Phillips 66 as strategic advisor to the CEO effective October 6; scheduled to lead Refining from January 1, 2027.
- **2026-09** — Plains announced his departure and the appointment of Dean Liollio as COO effective October 2.
- **2026-03** — MAM celebrated the Hamill Education & Workforce Training Center opening March 18-20; Chandler was capital campaign co-chair.

## Links

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-chandler-htx

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/chris-chandler
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-21