Senior Management
Matthew Pakkala
Chief Operating Officer & Chief Financial Officer
Matthew Pakkala is Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of World Oil Corp. He is responsible for overseeing World Oil’s operations and finances including asset management, information technology, logistics, accounting as well as family office functions. Matthew plays a central role in defining the strategic direction of the company with World Oil’s board and strives to balance World’s long-term vision with the short-term business needs to create value for its customers, employees, suppliers and shareholders. Prior to joining World Oil, he was a Senior Managing Director with FTI Consulting in the corporate finance and restructuring group for 15 years. He has held senior executive positions and key advisory roles in a variety of prominent pharmaceutical, construction and retail organizations throughout his career. Matthew holds an M.B.A. from the Anderson School at UCLA, a J.D. from Loyola Law School and a B.A. from UCSD.
Christopher Norton
Chief Legal Officer
Christopher M. Norton is Chief Legal Officer of World Oil and has responsibility for all legal affairs of the company and its affiliates and subsidiaries. Prior to joining World Oil, Christopher served as an executive and chief legal officer for both publicly-traded and private companies, including MPG Office Trust (formerly Maguire Properties Inc.), a public REIT with a portfolio of approximately 16 million square feet of rentable space, where he served as Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, and Andell Inc., a private investment firm and family office based in Beverly Hills, California, where he served as Senior Vice President, Business Affairs and General Counsel for the family office and its portfolio of operating companies, including the Chicago Fire Soccer Club of Major League Soccer (MLS). Christopher began his legal career at Latham & Watkins LLP, where his practice focused on real estate, finance and corporate transactions. Christopher holds a J.D. from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law and a B.S. from Brigham Young University.
Jeff Baxter
Executive Vice President of Operations and Engineering
Jeff Baxter joined World Oil in 2015. He oversees the recycling, refining and terminal operations for the World Oil companies including the technical, engineering, and construction management for the Recycling and Environmental Services divisions. Jeff came to World Oil from Vertex Energy, where he was Director of West Coast Operations and Projects. At Vertex Energy, he had oversight of the Western United States manufacturing operations, which included used oil re-refining and lubricant product blending. Jeff received both his B.S.E. & M.S.E degrees in Chemical Engineering from The University of Michigan and has over 10 years of experience in petrochemical and recycling facility design and operations. He went on to earn an MBA from the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago and is a licensed Professional Engineer. Jeff was a member of the University of Michigan Men’s Rowing Team and continues to support their efforts.
Shane Damelin
Vice President of Sales and Marketing
Shane Damelin is the Vice President of Business Development for World Oil Recycling and World Oil Environmental Services. He is responsible for Sales, Marketing and Business Development for the Recycling and Environmental Service companies. Shane has been with World Oil for over 20 years having lead roles in finance, mergers and acquisitions, and sales and marketing. Shane has extensive financial and marketing experience in the collection and recycling of used oil, and environmental services.
Sue Gornick
Vice President of Environment, Health & Safety
Over the last 25 years, Sue has built strong relationships with business and environmental regulatory agencies in the pursuit of environmental regulation streamlining and compliance. In her current role as the Vice President of Environment, Health & Safety at World Oil Corp., she is integrating retail, refining, recycling, terminals and transportation operating companies into one corporate EHS program. Sue has held environmental roles at WSPA, BP and CCEEB (as the CED executive director) and her experience also includes work with a wide range of organizations; from small- and medium-sized operations in printing, glass, the wine industry, and manufacturing, to much larger, multinational organizations in the chemical, mining, and petroleum industries. Sue achieved a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Drexel University in Philadelphia and has a Professional Engineering license. She also holds a Masters of Science in Environmental Management from the University of San Francisco.