Central Texas ORBIE Leadership Award recipient: For Marathon Petroleum CDO Ehren Powell, technology leaders must help the business win
When Ehren Powell reflects on his career, he doesn’t think of technology as a support function. He sees it as a force that can change how a business operates, competes, and creates value.
“One of the most meaningful things I’ve accomplished here has been changing that perception and demonstrating that digital and technology capabilities can directly contribute to the company's competitiveness, performance, and ability to solve important business problems,” said Powell, Senior Vice President and Chief Digital Officer at Marathon Petroleum Corporation and recipient of the 2026 Central Texas ORBIE Leadership Award.
That philosophy has shaped a career spanning more than two decades with GE and the past six years at Marathon Petroleum.
Putting digital at the center of the business
Powell grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, as the oldest of four children in a close-knit, sports-oriented family. He became the first person in his immediate family to attend a four-year university, laying the foundation for a career built on “hard work, learning quickly, and making the most of every opportunity.”
Powell became interested in technology during the early days of the internet and online commerce. He landed an internship at GE and eventually began working full time while completing his degree.
“[The experience] made me realize that technology’s value comes from how it can change a business, solve a problem, or create an opportunity,” he said.
After graduating, Powell entered GE’s two-year leadership development program and went on to hold leadership roles across GE businesses, including GE Aviation, GE Power, GE Transportation, and GE Healthcare.
Through several of GE’s services businesses, he saw firsthand “how technology could become part of a company’s commercial strategy rather than simply a support function.” He brought that experience to Marathon Petroleum, where he’s spent the past six years “reimagining how the business operates by putting digital and data at the center.”
Transforming a complex enterprise
Marathon Petroleum operates the nation’s largest refining system, with over 18,000 employees and complex operations. The company’s marketing system includes branded locations across the United States, including the Marathon and ARCO brands. It also owns significant midstream infrastructure through its midstream affiliate MPLX, which includes crude oil transportation and logistics, and gas gathering, processing and fractionation assets.
Over the past six years, Powell has helped make digital a more central part of how Marathon operates, improving efficiency, decision-making, and collaboration, with the aspiration of creating a digitally enabled, future ready company. The work he has led with his teams generated hundreds of millions in sustained financial value delivery.
But for Powell, his most significant contribution may be enabling a value chain mindset, where the company is shifting from vertical silos toward greater cross-functional collaboration.
Leading through unfamiliar territory
One of Powell’s biggest challenges (and one that’s ultimately made him a better leader) has been repeatedly moving into unfamiliar businesses and industries.
Leaving GE after 20 years was especially tough. “That experience taught me an important lesson about leadership,” he said. “Your ability to lead cannot depend entirely on familiarity, relationships, or knowing how a company works. You have to be able to establish credibility, build relationships, learn a new environment, and create impact even when you’re starting from scratch.”
Outside of work, Powell is committed to using his leadership experience to serve his community. He recently joined the board of Mind Science, a nonprofit supporting research focused on brain health and quality of life. He also hosts community service and philanthropic events for Marathon’s Digital Leadership Team, supporting organizations like the Salvation Army, Texas diaper bank, Adopt-a-Family, and the Raul Jimenez Thanksgiving Dinner. As executive sponsor of Marathon’s Hispanic Employee Network, he also helps promote inclusion, mentorship, and community engagement.
Solving the problems that matter
As businesses continue to evolve rapidly, Powell believes the next generation of technology leaders need to take a visible role in shaping companies.
“Digital leaders need to provide visible leadership from the front,” he said. “They need to have a strong and vocal perspective on how technology can disrupt, enhance, accelerate, and change the business.”
His advice starts with two questions: What differentiates your company from its competitors? And what is the biggest, nastiest, hairiest problem facing the organization?
“Then become central to solving those two things,” he said.
“At its core, leadership in technology is about solving problems. The best digital leaders are helping the company win.”