ExxonMobil Veteran Joins TMC Board as Seabed Mining Push Accelerates…

Event summary

Liam Mallon, former ExxonMobil Upstream President, appointed to TMC’s Board of Directors on September 29, 2026.
Mallon brings 40 years of global energy and offshore operating experience, including leadership of ExxonMobil’s $20–30 billion annual capital deployment.
He will lead the Board’s Sustainability and Innovation Committee, focusing on offshore project economics and scaling operations.
Brendan May steps down from the Board after two years of service.
TMC advances NOAA regulatory process for seabed mineral operations with recent application milestones.

The big picture

TMC’s appointment of Liam Mallon underscores its push toward commercial-scale seabed mining, a strategic pivot from traditional energy to critical minerals. Mallon’s deepwater expertise aligns with TMC’s ambitions to establish the first high-seas mining operations, a move that could reshape U.S. mineral independence. The regulatory path forward remains uncertain, but Mallon’s track record in large-scale capital projects suggests TMC is betting on execution over permitting delays.

What we're watching

Regulatory Momentum: Whether NOAA’s review process for TMC’s seabed mineral applications will maintain its current pace, given the complexity of environmental assessments.
Execution Risk: How TMC will translate Mallon’s deepwater experience into commercial-scale seabed mining operations, a first-of-its-kind endeavor.
Governance Dynamics: The impact of Mallon’s leadership on the Board’s Sustainability and Innovation Committee, particularly in balancing rapid scaling with environmental impact management.