# James Walter

> James H. Walter is the Midland-based founder and co-CEO of Permian Resources. He co-founded predecessor Colgate Energy with childhood neighbor Will Hickey in 2015 after working at Boston Consulting Group and Denham Capital. Their company combined with Centennial Resource Development in September 2022; Walter also serves on the Dallas Fed’s El Paso Branch board and the Permian Strategic Partnership board.

- **Role:** Founder and Co-Chief Executive Officer at Permian Resources
- **Organizations:** Permian Resources, Colgate Energy, Denham Capital, Boston Consulting Group, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, El Paso Branch, Permian Strategic Partnership, CEO Forum, Redeemer Midland Church
- **Education:** Bachelor of Arts, Plan II Honors Program, University of Texas at Austin, Bachelor of Business Administration, Finance, University of Texas at Austin
- **Known for:** Co-founded and co-led Colgate Energy from 2015 until its 2022 combination with Centennial., Co-led the transition to Permian Resources through the approximately $7 billion merger of equals announced in 2022., Helped negotiate the Earthstone Energy acquisition announced at approximately $4.5 billion including net debt in August 2023.

## Career timeline

- **Before 2015** — Worked at Boston Consulting Group evaluating upstream assets, then at Denham Capital evaluating and monitoring oil and gas investments with a Permian focus.
- **2015** — Co-founded Colgate Energy with Will Hickey and relocated to Midland.
- **2016** — Colgate announced $75 million of equity commitments from Pearl Energy Investments, NGP through an affiliate, and management.
- **2017** — Colgate started its first drilling rig.
- **2022** — Became founder, co-CEO and director of Permian Resources when the Colgate-Centennial combination closed on September 1.
- **2023** — Participated in negotiations for the Earthstone acquisition, completed November 1.
- **2024** — Joined the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas’s El Paso Branch board.

## Achievements

- Co-founded and co-led Colgate Energy from 2015 until its 2022 combination with Centennial.
- Co-led the transition to Permian Resources through the approximately $7 billion merger of equals announced in 2022.
- Helped negotiate the Earthstone Energy acquisition announced at approximately $4.5 billion including net debt in August 2023.
- Appointed to the Dallas Fed’s El Paso Branch board beginning in 2024.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — On October 13, the City of Midland announced that Permian Resources would fund and coordinate improvements to the Wadley-Barron Park Duck Pond. Walter connected the project to making Midland a place to live, work and raise families.
- **2026-08** — Permian Resources reported second-quarter adjusted free cash flow of $751 million and approximately 190 year-to-date transactions for $1.05 billion. Walter emphasized acquisition discipline during volatile commodity markets.
- **2026-07** — Permian Resources completed a $520 million unadjusted acquisition of approximately 20,500 net leasehold acres and 950 net royalty acres in Ward County, Texas.
- **2026-04** — The 2026 proxy continued to list Walter as co-CEO and director.

## Links

- Website: https://permianres.com/about-us/management-team/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameshwalter

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/james-walter
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-23