Benjamin Dell

Managing Partner
Kimmeridge

Ben Dell, Managing Partner of energy private equity firm Kimmeridge, has been a pioneering voice and an agent of tangible change in the energy industry for over a decade. He has been at the forefront of shaping the new E&P business model, one that prioritizes environmental stewardship, alignment with stakeholders, and an accelerated path towards carbon neutrality.

Before forming Kimmeridge, Ben held positions as an exploration geologist and geophysicist across several of BP’s regional business units. He has an undergraduate degree in Earth Sciences from St. Peter’s College, Oxford.

Under Ben’s leadership, Kimmeridge has consistently delivered for investors through economic and commodity cycles. The firm is among not only the best performing E&P funds since inception but the best private equity funds overall, with returns that far exceed the public markets. At the heart of its investment philosophy lies a commitment to thoughtful, proprietary research and strong thought leadership in a sector accustomed to maintaining the status quo. In recent years, Kimmeridge has published more than 20 whitepapers that spell out the firm’s view on how the E&P sector can become investable again. These papers have made waves across the industry for their practical ideas and enlightening analysis.

The principles in these papers have come to life in Kimmeridge’s investments. In 2021, Ben was the driving force behind the creation of Civitas Resources, Colorado’s largest pure-play energy producer. On day one of operations, Civitas became Colorado’s first carbon neutral E&P. In March 2022, Kimmeridge launched its Chestnut platform dedicated to generating additional, verifiable carbon-offset credits from forest-based projects. Kimmeridge also backs Sitio, an industry leader in the oil and gas mineral and royalty space with a proven track record of consolidating mineral royalty interests operated by a diverse set of E&P companies.