Global is committed to excellence throughout the organization. Our team brings decades of proven leadership to their respective areas.
Eric Slifka’s story is a testament to personal achievement and the collective vision of his family. His journey highlights how strong relationships and strategic partnerships can drive success and create a lasting impact. Eric’s remarkable career with Global Partners exemplifies his commitment to family values, strategic vision, continuous growth, and exceptional leadership. Eric’s career began...
Full bio …
Eric Slifka
President, Chief Executive Officer
Eric Slifka’s story is a testament to personal achievement and the collective vision of his family. His journey highlights how strong relationships and strategic partnerships can drive success and create a lasting impact. Eric’s remarkable career with Global Partners exemplifies his commitment to family values, strategic vision, continuous growth, and exceptional leadership.
Eric’s career began in childhood, going to work with his father on weekends at the family’s retail home heating oil company. He later gained hands-on experience in various aspects of the business, including terminals, bulk operations, vessel movement, and truck loading racks. These early experiences laid the foundation for his future success in the family business.
Eric worked closely with his father, Fred Slifka, learning every facet of the energy sector—terminals, wholesale, supply, trading, risk management, retail—and how to strategically integrate them. His formative years included trips to Venezuela and other parts of South America, where he became deeply involved in the family’s diverse energy ventures.
In 1998, Eric’s expertise and dedication led him to become the Chief Operating Officer of Global Companies. Under his leadership, the company underwent significant strategic changes. By 2003, he was promoted to President and Chief Executive Officer, roles in which he spurred a new era of growth and innovation. His leadership was crucial in taking Global Partners public in 2005 as a master limited partnership. Since then, the company has grown more than tenfold, and Eric is particularly proud of distributing more than a billion dollars to unit holders.
Beyond his corporate success, Eric is actively involved in philanthropy and industry organizations. He serves on the National Petroleum Council, the board of the Energy Policy Research Foundation, Inc., and the Massachusetts General Hospital President’s Council. Through the Global for Good Fund, Eric continues the family tradition of giving back, showing a strong commitment to community and social responsibility.
Eric’s leadership is rooted in trust, relationships, and personal connections. His approach emphasizes building and nurturing partnerships, a philosophy central to Global Partners’ success. He has created a corporate environment where every team member plays a role in the company’s achievements. His journey reflects a dedication to family, stability, and the values of trust and execution that have elevated Global Partners to its current prominence.
Eric lives in the Boston area with his wife and has a daughter and two sons, both of whom are actively involved in the business. He enjoys boating, golfing, and spending time with family and friends.
Mark Romaine
Chief Operating Officer
Mark Romaine is the Chief Operating Officer at Global Partners and stands at the forefront of the company’s strategic and operational leadership. Since assuming the role in 2013, Mark has been instrumental in helping Global Partners reach new heights, enhancing operational efficiencies, and spearheading initiatives that have significantly improved the company’s market position and financial performance. Since becoming Chief Operating Officer, Mark has overseen approximately $2B of mergers and acquisitions activity, increasing Global’s total bulk storage terminal capacity from 10.2MM bbls to 21.4MM bbls and increasing Global’s owned, operated and/or supplied retail locations count from approximately 900 sites to more than 1,700 as of June 2024.
Mark’s extensive career in the petroleum industry began in 1994 at Volta Oil, where he held various operations and marketing roles. In 1998, he joined Global Partners as the Premium Fuels Marketing Manager. From 2006 to 2013, he served as the Senior Vice President of Light Oil Supply and Distribution.
Mark holds a bachelor’s degree from Providence College and an MBA from the University of Massachusetts.
Mark lives in the Boston area with his wife and has three children. In his downtime, he enjoys golf, health and wellness, and spending time on the water with family and friends.
Gregory B. Hanson
Chief Financial Officer
Gregory B. Hanson has been the Chief Financial Officer at Global Partners since 2021, bringing over two decades of experience in the financial sector. His leadership has been instrumental in structuring and raising over $5 billion in capital, encompassing public and private sector debt, equity, and bank debt. This capital has been crucial in facilitating Global Partners’ expansion through strategic acquisitions and investments.
Gregory’s journey with Global Partners began in 2013 as Treasurer, where he significantly influenced the company’s financial strategy. Prior to joining Global Partners, he served as Senior Vice President at GE Energy Financial Services and RBS Citizens Financial Group. His career also includes a role as a Director at Bank of America, where he spent six years, and as Vice President at Merrill Lynch Capital.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts from Colby College and an MBA from Babson College’s F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business.
Residing in the Boston area with his family, Gregory is an avid skier and biker.
Sean T. Geary
Chief Legal Officer
Sean Geary is the dynamic Chief Legal Officer at Global Partners, where he leads a multifaceted team responsible for legal affairs, Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS), and fuel compliance. As a key member of Global’s executive team, Geary is instrumental in shaping the company’s strategic direction and navigating complex legal landscapes.
Since joining Global in 2005, Geary has leveraged his extensive experience from top law firms to drive significant advancements within the company. He initially took on the role of Deputy General Counsel and Vice President of Mergers & Acquisitions, where he played a pivotal role in strategic growth initiatives, closing more than 30 acquisitions totaling more than $3BB, including all but four of Global’s currently owned and leased terminals and effectively all of Global’s 1,700 owned, operated, and/or supplied retail locations. In 2021, he was appointed Acting General Counsel, further demonstrating his leadership and legal acumen.
Since 1994, Sean has been a dedicated volunteer with Christmas in the City, Inc., a Boston-based charity supporting children and families facing homelessness, managing the Toy Room from 1997 to 2019 and serving on the Board of Directors since 2021. He has also been involved with the Scouts BSA program since 2006, currently acting as a merit badge counselor and mentor for Eagle Scout candidates in Dedham, MA.
Matthew Spencer
Chief Accounting Officer
Matthew Spencer is the Chief Accounting Officer at Global Partners, a position he has held since 2018. In this role, Matthew oversees financial reporting, accounting functions, tax compliance, internal controls and plays a key role in the management of the company’s financial operations.
Matthew’s career in accounting began at Ernst & Young, where he worked for a decade and advanced to the role of Senior Manager. Following his tenure at Ernst & Young, Matthew served as Assistant Controller at SharkNinja Operating LLC (formerly Euro-Pro Operating LLC). There, he was instrumental in redesigning the company’s accounting processes to enhance management insights and streamline financial reporting.
Prior to his current role, Matthew was the Controller of the general partner at Global from 2012 to 2017. During this period, he played a key role in the implementation of new trade capture and transaction processing systems used within our Wholesale and Commercial segments. The new systems automated certain manual processes and standardized business reporting.
Matthew holds a degree in Accounting and Information Systems from Boston College and is a licensed CPA in Massachusetts. Residing in the Boston area with his wife and two daughters, he is actively involved in his community and is a member of the Northborough-Southborough Regional School Committee.
Lorraine Spadaro
Chief Information Officer
Lorraine Spadaro is the Chief Information Officer at Global Partners, a role she has excelled in since joining the company in December 2021. In this strategic position, Lorraine has been instrumental in spearheading the company’s digital transformation, advancing cloudification, driving modernization and optimization.
Before joining Global Partners, she was a key player in the technology landscape at Boston’s TD Garden and Boston Bruins, a premier venue under Delaware North. There, she managed the arena’s technology infrastructure and spearheaded numerous technological innovations. Her consulting work for Delaware North across major MLB, NFL, NHL, and NBA venues solidified her reputation as a leading national expert. She was also a trailblazer in sports technology, standing out as one of the few women working in the NHL. Now, she aims to make a significant impact in the energy and retail sectors, striving to deliver exceptional customer experiences through innovative solutions.
Lorraine’s distinguished career began with Delaware North Companies in 1992, where she started as Information Systems Manager for the original Boston Garden. Her visionary work in developing technology for the new Garden, later known as the FleetCenter, marked the beginning of her remarkable journey in the technology sector. Prior to her tenure with Delaware North, she gained valuable experience as a Programmer/Systems Analyst with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Lorraine holds a BA in Computer Science from Boston College and lives in the Boston area. She is a dedicated mother of three and enjoys golfing and tennis. She finds joy and relaxation at her coastal Maine home, where she cherishes her time away from the hectic professional sphere.
Maura McDonough
Chief People Officer
Maura McDonough has been the driving force behind Global Partners’ human resources strategy since 2022, leveraging her extensive experience to navigate the complexities of the energy sector. As Chief People Officer, Maura has spearheaded critical initiatives in talent acquisition, management, and development, while championing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts. Her strategic oversight also extends to employee relations, benefits administration, and the implementation of advanced HR information systems.
Maura’s career began as an HR Director at the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department, where she led a team focused on labor and employee relations from 1994 to 2002. Her journey continued with notable roles at Comcast, Shawmut Design and Construction, Atlantic Power Corporation, Localytics, and Seniorlink. In these positions, Maura honed her skills in streamlining benefits, building efficient processes, and managing costs. Her career at Global began in 2017.
Her expertise in handling major mergers and acquisitions is particularly noteworthy. Maura excels in integrating company cultures and HR practices, ensuring seamless transitions during periods of organizational change.
Maura holds a bachelor’s degree from UMass Boston and an MBA from Northeastern University. A native of South Boston, she cherishes her summers on Cape Cod, where she captains her boat on the Bass River with her golden retriever, Summer. In the winter, you’ll find her hitting the slopes in Maine.