7th Global Energy Forum 2025 Distinguished Confirmed Speakers Include

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Sam Thigpen

CEO, Sapphire Gas Solutions
Conroe, TX 

I am the Founder and CEO of Sapphire Gas Solutions, a recognized entrepreneurial leader and avid outdoorsman. I am a winner of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year® award for the Gulf Coast region and attribute my entrepreneurial success to the field and operations experience gained early in my career. Having been in the natural gas industry for 25 years, I have spent two-thirds of that time as an entrepreneur. Since founding, what is now, Sapphire Gas Solutions in 2005, the company has been recognized as an Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Company.


In addition to founding and leading a successful energy transition company, I have led successful capital raising efforts in both the public and the private equity markets. I have raised over a quarter of a billion dollars in capital since 2014. This experience gives me a healthy understanding of the capital markets and requirements for a successful fundraising campaign.


My background is one of vast industry experience. It spans working in natural gas processing, SCADA system installation and maintenance, offshore production service, upstream oil and gas operations, international petrochemical and LNG plant service, natural gas pipeline operations, pipeline and facility construction, gas pipeline auditing, CNG/LNG fueling station construction, CNG/LNG virtual pipeline operations, and finally, executive management and strategic leadership.


Finally, I am an avid and accomplished offshore fisherman, semi-professional sporting clays competitor, and enjoy outdoor activities such as pheasant, dove, and quail hunting. Intellectually, I am a member of both MENSA and the International Society for Philosophical Enquiry. I am also a Texas Freemason and an active member of the Woodlands Church, in The Woodlands, TX.