Tillerson to receive lifetime achievement award for work in oil industry

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will receive a lifetime achievement award for his time at ExxonMobil Corp., The Washington Post reported Wednesday.

Tillerson, who was CEO of the oil giant for a decade before joining the Trump administration, is being recognized by the World Petroleum Congress for his “outstanding contribution to the oil and gas industry.”

Tillerson was named the recipient of the award in November, before President Trump tapped him for secretary of State. He will receive the award at a ceremony in Istanbul, Turkey, next week, where he will travel after the Group of 20 summit in Germany.

{mosads}Tillerson is also set to talk with Turkish officials about fighting off the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria and speak with staff at a U.S. diplomatic post.

He is only the 10th person to receive the award, joining the ranks of other ex-oil CEOs and Saudi Arabian and Qatari royalty who were involved in the industry.

Senior State Department officials reportedly did not answer questions by reporters about the award on a background call covering Tillerson’s trip, according to the Post.