The Williams Companies, Inc. announced the next step in its board refreshment plan. Under the plan, Stephen Chazen, former President and Chief Executive Officer and current Board director of Occidental Petroleum, and Peter Ragauss, former Chief Financial Officer of Baker Hughes and current board director at Apache Corporation, have been appointed to the Williams Board of Directors, effective immediately. The board also announced that three Williams directors who served prior to 2016 will not stand for re-election at the 2016 Annual Meeting. Five new directors (i.e., directors who were not serving on the board as of July 1, 2016), Stephen Bergstrom, Stephen Chazen, Peter Ragauss, Scott Sheffield and William Spence, in addition to four Williams directors who served prior to 2016, will stand for election as nominees of the Williams Board at the 2016 Annual Meeting. The board also announced its goal to identify two additional highly qualified candidates to join the board prior to the 2016 Annual Meeting. If the nominees are elected, the Williams Board will comprise 11 directors, 10 of whom are independent. The board also announced that it has reconstituted its Nominating and Governance Committee. Stephen Bergstrom, Stephen Chazen and Dr. Kathleen B. Cooper have been appointed to the Committee with Mr. Bergstrom serving as Chairman, effective immediately. Consistent with past practices, the Nominating and Governance Committee will be responsible for identifying the two new independent director candidates prior to the 2016 Annual Meeting. Mr. Chazen retired as Chief Executive Officer of Occidental Petroleum Corporation in April 2016, and has remained on Occidental’s Board of Directors where he has served since May 2010. He previously served as President of Occidental Petroleum from 2007 to 2015; Chief Operating Officer from 2010 to 2011; and Chief Financial Officer from 2007 to 2010. Mr. Ragauss retired from Baker Hughes in November 2014 after serving eight years as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. He joined the Board of Directors of Apache Corporation in December 2014. From 2003 to 2006, prior to joining Baker Hughes, Mr. Ragauss was controller, Refining and Marketing, for BP Plc. From 2000 to 2003, he was chief executive officer for Air BP.
The Williams Companies, Inc. specializes in the production and distribution of natural gas. Net sales break down by activity as follows:
- natural gas transportation and storage (77.5%): owned, at the end of 2020, a pipeline network of over 48,280.3 km. The group also develops gas processing and liquefaction activity;
- sale of natural gas and LNG (21.6%);
- other (0.9%).
All net sales are earned in the United States.
WILLIAMS COMPANIES 
