Chevron has named Michael Wirth as the company’s new chairman and CEO, succeeding John Watson who will retire from the company on February 1, 2018, after 37 years service, including eight years as chairman and CEO.
Speaking following his appointment, Wirth said that the company, under Watson’s leadership, developed assets in Kazakhstan, Australia and the Permian Basin that will underpin Chevron’s portfolio for decades to come.
Wirth joined Chevron in 1982 as a design engineer. Since that time, he advanced through a number of engineering, construction and operations positions.
He was named vice chairman of the board of directors in February 2017. He is also executive vice president of midstream and development, a position he has held since 2016.
Previously, he was executive vice president of downstream & chemicals for nearly a decade. Prior to that, he served as president of global supply and trading and president of marketing for Chevron’s Asia/Middle East/Africa business, based in Singapore.
He also served on the board of directors for Caltex Australia and GS Caltex in South Korea.