Gaurdie E Banister Jr. is the founder and CEO of Different Points of View, a private firm that provides advisory services in the areas of leadership and safety. He is the former President and CEO of Aera Energy LLC, one of California’s largest Oil and Gas companies.

Today, Mr. Banister serves on the board of Dow, Inc and Enbridge.  He also serves as Chair of Russell Reynolds Associates.  He has served on the boards of Tyson Foods where he spent 5 years as Lead Director, Marathon Oil and the Bristow Group.  Banister has experience as Chair of both Compensation and Governance Committees and has served as an Audit Committee member. 

Mr. Banister serves on the board of trustees of American University in Washington, DC, the foundation board of South Dakota School of Mines and Technology and on the board of the Harwood Institute for Public Innovation based in Bethesda, Md.
  
Mr. Banister holds a bachelor’s degree in metallurgical engineering from South Dakota School of Mines and Technology and in 2007 was presented an honorary doctorate degree. Banister also received an honorary doctorate degree in 2002 from Fort Valley State University in Georgia.