Born in Lexington, Oklahoma, Harold Hamm created Continental Resources at the age of 21 and has grown the company into the largest privately-held oil and gas producer in the world, with assets in America’s four premier oil plays. Harold has dedicated his entire life to being a tireless advocate for American oil and gas and its many benefits to humanity. Mr. Hamm is widely recognized for advancing horizontal drilling in America.

Mr. Hamm is the author of Game Changer: Our 50-Year Mission to Secure America’s Energy Independence, a national best-seller with more than 50 thousand copies sold.

In addition to his work at Continental, he co-founded and serves as Executive Chairman of the Domestic Energy Producers Alliance. Through DEPA, Mr. Hamm is recognized as the man who worked tirelessly to help lift America's 40-year-old ban on U.S. crude oil exports. These efforts cleared the way for the American energy renaissance, securing energy independence in 2019.

Along with industry advocacy, Mr. Hamm is a national leader in promoting health and education. He has gifted more than $60 million to establish the Harold Hamm Diabetes Center at the University of Oklahoma with the mission of eradicating diabetes. He has also given generously to the University of North Dakota and the University of Mary to establish engineering colleges at both schools.

Most recently, Mr. Hamm joined Continental Resources to create the Hamm Institute for American Energy at Oklahoma State University. The combined $50 million gift established the Hamm Institute as the center for all things American energy with the goal of solving humanity's greatest energy challenges.

Mr. Hamm has received numerous awards and recognition for his contributions including being named TIME magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in the World”, Platt Global Energy’s Lifetime Achievement Award and Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year.