Keith Cutter

In this interview, Sam Yates speaks with Keith Cutter, whose career has taken him from employment law to leading talent strategy in the energy sector. Now VP of Talent Strategy at Delek, Keith shares insights on shaping organisational culture, developing frontline leadership, and building HR capability in complex, fast-moving environments—drawing on a journey that’s included roles at Phillips 66, Tesoro, Andeavor, and Marathon.

Once that part of the business was sold off, I moved into my first true refinery role – down to the Sweeney refinery with Phillips 66 as Head of Labour Relations. That was a large site – 2,000 people – with both union and non-union workforces. I dealt with eight different maintenance craft unions and worked on strengthening management–employee relationships with the non-union operators to prevent the perceived need for unionisation, which is really where my interest in leadership and culture began.

From there, I joined Tesoro, a smaller refiner based in San Antonio. The appeal was the opportunity to be part of a more nimble, entrepreneurial company. Phillips was excellent, but it was large and well-established. Tesoro was exciting – they were buying businesses and growing fast. I worked at their corporate HQ supporting commercial, legal and supply chain, and was heavily involved in the acquisition of Western Refining – that was my first major M&A project.

Post-acquisition, I moved to Alaska as HR Director for the refinery there. My wife wasn’t thrilled at first, but we went to check it out and ended up moving there with our seven-month-old child. It was a fantastic experience – a non-union site, but very community-driven and relationship-based. People had been there for generations, and you really had to become part of the community to earn influence. But once you did, they were incredible – loyal, hardworking, and generous.

Sam: So you arrive at Delek – and as you say, not a traditional refiner – and quickly notice some issues: silos, fragmentation, and so on. What are your first steps when you join an organisation like that? How do you assess its cultural and leadership health?

Keith: Great question. Some of it’s more instinctive than data-driven, especially early on. But I always arrive with a 90-day plan – written down, structured. The first 60 days are purely about listening and understanding: why the organisation is the way it is, who the key players are – both formal and informal. I try to meet the linchpins and mavens – those who carry influence, regardless of role.

For me, communication is critical. I always try to figure out how the organisation communicates best. At refineries, I’d deliberately go on night shift to talk to operators. It’s unexpected – an HR leader showing up at 3am – but it works. People open up, and you get insight you’d never hear in a sanctioned HR meeting. I did the same at Delek – I visited all our refineries multiple times, speaking with union leaders, frontline supervisors, and informal influencers.

Once I’ve got a good feel for who’s who and why things are the way they are, the final 30 days of the plan are about action: quick wins, longer-term priorities, and understanding the things don’t need changing – even if they differ from previous companies I’ve worked at.

Sam: Did you have to adapt your approach moving from Alaska back into the lower 48?

Keith: Absolutely. I’ve always moved between field and corporate roles, and the key for me is to meet people where they are. Whether that’s night shift operators or senior leaders, I try to show up in their space and on their terms.

But one big shift I had to make at Delek was dropping the habit of saying, “At my last company, we did it this way.” That shuts down dialogue immediately. If you come in with a bias or an agenda to impose another culture, you’ll never hear what’s really on people’s minds.

Sam: In refining, you often see technical experts moving into leadership roles. But that shift is no longer about engineering or science – it’s about people. As VP of Talent Strategy, how do you support someone moving from a highly technical role into a leadership one? What’s your playbook?

Keith: A few things. Years ago, a colleague and I put together a training course called “Supervisor Jumpstart.” But even before training, it’s about challenging the assumption of who should be a leader in the first place. Often, the best technical person gets promoted – and that can set them up for failure.

So, the first step is working with senior leadership to define what good leadership looks like. Who has the qualities needed – not just technical skills, but the ability to influence, to rally people? Sometimes that’s someone quieter, someone who isn’t the top technical performer, but who connects well with people. If we can identify those people early, we can support them before they even step into leadership roles.

Once someone is in that role, it’s about setting clear expectations. I tell people: don’t accept the title and the pay if you don’t want the responsibilities that come with them. Leading means dealing with people issues, juggling competing priorities, and often feeling like you have less control than you did as an individual contributor.

You’ll need courage. You’ll need to influence without relying on your title. And you’ll need to understand people in a deeper way than you probably ever have.

Sam: And on a more practical level – let’s say you’re a HR leader trying to shape culture, even down to operator level. What small, everyday things can you do to nudge the organisation in the right direction?

Keith: This is something I feel really strongly about. People overcomplicate culture. It’s actually simple – it’s just that the simple things are hard to do consistently.

First, you have to model the behaviour you want to see. That sounds obvious, but what it means in practice is focusing on the small things. If I expect others to be punctual, I can’t start meetings late. If I want everyone to follow safety standards, I can’t skip holding the handrail on stairs. Leaders don’t get to opt out of the culture they’re trying to shape.

Everyone’s always watching. I once heard this: your team will do 50% of what you do right, and 100% of what you do wrong. Same as with parenting – they’re not listening to what you say, they’re watching what you do.

Another big one is feedback. Praise publicly, coach privately. It’s so often missed – both the good and the bad. And when leaders avoid giving feedback, it’s usually more about their discomfort than the other person’s ability to hear it. A book called Rejection Proof speaks really well to this.

So yes – give praise when it’s earned. Don’t miss the moment. But also have the courage to pull someone aside, be kind and human, but give them the feedback they need to grow. If you don’t, you’re holding them back – and the organisation too.

Sam: You’ve clearly had mentors throughout your career. Is there a single piece of advice that’s stuck with you – something that really made you think?

Keith: Yes – a couple of things, actually. One general principle I share a lot is that you learn from every leader – the good ones and the bad ones. Every leader gives you a blueprint of what to do, and what not to do.

But one specific moment stands out. I was in Alaska, feeling burnt out. I was telling myself the story that I was indispensable – “if I’m not here, nothing will get done”, that kind of thing.

A mentor pulled me aside and said: “You’re not that important.” It sounds harsh, but it was actually freeing. He wasn’t trying to knock me down – he was reminding me that most of what I was doing could be done by someone else. We’re all replaceable – and that gives you the space to focus on the truly important stuff.

There’s a great book called Linchpin, which talks about creating work that’s hard to quantify and impossible to replace. But most of what we do is replaceable. So don’t sweat the small stuff. Prioritise the few things that truly matter.

Sam: Brilliant. And finally – is there anything going on at Delek or in your team that you’d like to share? Any programmes or community work you’re excited about?

Keith: Yes – one thing we’ve really focused on is what we call the “bullseye” model for hiring and retention. It’s not just about finding someone who can do the job. It’s about finding someone who fits the job, the industry, the company, the location – and ultimately, the culture.

So for example, if you’re hiring a process engineer, the outer ring of the bullseye is everyone in the world who can do that job. Then you go inward: who wants to work in oil and gas? Who wants to work for Delek? Who’s open to relocating to a specific site? And finally – who fits our culture?

That centre of the bullseye – that’s who we want. And we’ve been building tools, training and development programmes to help leaders identify, attract, and retain those people. It’s about focusing resources on the talent that will thrive here – and making sure we’re helping them stay.

Culture is about shared behaviours – not just nice-sounding values, but real, lived behaviours. And the people who thrive here will have those in common.

Sam: Thanks for your time, Keith.

Keith: No problem at all!