Mark Hereth

Mark is a managing director of the Blacksmith Group / P-PIC which serves the energy pipeline industry. He worked for Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Co. (HSB), the largest insurer of machinery and equipment in the world, for 23 years. During the first 14 years of his time within HSB, Mark worked for Radian Corporation (now part of AEECOM), an engineering subsidiary serving the petrochemical, petroleum refining, metals processing, pipelines and electric power industries. He joined the parent company in 1993 and ran HSB’s worldwide Chemical, Oil and Gas Insurance Operations for five years. He testified before the House Energy and Commerce Committee during Pipeline Safety Reauthorization in 2002.

In 2003, he left HSB and formed P-PIC serving the energy pipeline industries. He has worked for the senior executives or the Board of Directors following virtually every major pipeline accident since the late 1990s. Mr. Hereth has advised Company Boards by leading independent investigations and proposing long-term plans following major accidents for PG&E, Olympic Pipeline, El Paso Corporation and Colonial Pipeline. He also served as a lead advisor for Entergy following Hurricane Katrina as they worked to emerge from bankruptcy and then successfully realized claims for major damage to their gas distribution system. He testified before the House Energy and Commerce Committee during Pipeline Safety Reauthorization Hearings in 2002. He is Vice Chairman of the INGAA Foundation, an organization that addresses the life cycle of pipelines including operators, engineers, constructors, consultants, lawyers and insurers. He served as the technical lead for work group developing API 1173, Recommended Practice for Pipeline Safety Management Systems. He has an M.S. in Chemical Engineering from Ohio University.