Ricky Kostner spotlight, Regional Sales Manager for Chemical Technologies

Ricky Kostner brings a unique blend of experience across finance, field operations and commercial leadership to his role as Regional Sales Manager for chemical technologies in the Permian Basin.

Ricky began his career more than a decade ago with ChampionX, shortly after earning a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from California State University, Bakersfield. Starting as a financial analyst supporting deepwater operations in the Gulf of Mexico, Latin America and West Africa, he gained early exposure to the strategic and commercial drivers of the business.

However, Ricky was keen to move closer to the field. “I wanted to see how the operations worked in practice and be in front of customers to understand the chemistry and the technical side of what we did,” he explains.

That motivation led him into an intensive offshore training program in the Gulf of Mexico, where he spent two years rotating offshore as a service technician. The experience proved valuable, giving him first-hand insight into field execution, customer expectations and the realities of day-to-day operations.

He took this experience and progressed through service and account management roles before moving to West Texas to take on his current role leading chemical technologies across the Permian Basin, one of SLB’s largest and most active regions globally. He now oversees six districts and more than 300 employees, operating within a basin that continues to set the pace for oil and gas development.

Describing the role, Ricky said: “Day-to-day it’s a mix of customer interaction, people management and business management. I sit right in the middle of customers, our people and the company. The Permian Basin is unique when compared to other areas in North America in that it operates at a higher level of activity. I’m very close to what’s happening on the ground and can directly support my customer’s challenges.”

A strong advocate for field experience and internal development, Ricky believes that leadership credibility is built at the wellhead. “It’s really hard to lead a business if you don’t understand what happens where the rubber meets the road. Those experiences shape how we make decisions, for our employees and for our customers.”

Ricky sees both challenge and opportunity in the evolving Permian landscape. As production growth slows and operators move into more complex acreage, differentiation through technology, integration and digital capability becomes increasingly critical. Under SLB, Ricky and his team are combining chemical innovation with equipment, data and AI-driven insights to help customers maximise performance across the full life cycle of the well.

He continued: “By bringing chemistry, equipment and digital together, we’re able to create far more value than any single solution on its own. That’s where we’re really focused, helping customers get more from every well, today and long into the future.”