John S. Watson, 52, was elected chairman and CEO of Chevron Corp. effective Dec. 31. Watson, who is currently vice chairman, succeeds David J. O’Reilly, who will retire from the company and its board after a 41-year career, including 10 years as chairman and CEO. The Chevron board also elected George L. Kirkland, 59, to be vice chairman of the board, succeeding Watson in that capacity. As vice chairman and executive vice president of Upstream and Gas, Kirkland will retain responsibility for overseeing Chevron’s global exploration and production activities for crude oil and natural gas. Watson has had a 29-year career with Chevron and was named vice chairman of the corporation on April 1. Watson joined Chevron in 1980 as a financial analyst. He held financial, analytical and supervisory positions before being elected president of Chevron Canada Ltd. in 1996. In 1998 he was elected a vice president of the corporation with responsibility for strategic planning and mergers and acquisitions. In 2000, he led the company’s integration effort following the Chevron-Texaco merger and then became the corporation’s CFO. In 2005 Watson was elected president of Chevron International Exploration and Production. In 2008 he was elected executive vice president for strategy and development. Watson is a director of the American Petroleum Institute. Kirkland joined Chevron as a construction engineer in New Orleans in 1974 and moved to Caltex Pacific Indonesia in 1978. After returning to the United States Kirkland became group manager of Upstream Technology for Chevron Research and Technology Co. in 1990. In 1992 Kirkland was appointed general manager of production for Chevron Nigeria Ltd. In 1996, he was named managing director for Chevron in Nigeria. He became president of the company’s North American Exploration and Production operations in 2001. He was later appointed corporate vice president and president of Chevron’s International Exploration and Production operations in 2002 and assumed his current position in January 2005.
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Lee K. Boothby, 47, president of Newfield Exploration Co., was elected CEO at the company’s annual meeting. He succeeds retiring David A. Trice, 61, who agreed to serve a one-year term as nonexecutive chairman. Boothby joined Newfield 10 years ago and previously served as senior vice president of acquisitions and business development. He also has headed Newfield’s Midcontinent division. Gary D. Packer, 46, who most recently served as president of Newfield’s Rocky Mountain division, was promoted to executive vice president and COO. Terry W. Rathert, 56, a founding member of the company, was promoted to executive vice president and CFO by the board. Daryll T. Howard, 46, was promoted to vice president of the Rocky Mountains division, succeeding Packer. In addition, Samuel E. Langford, 51, was promoted to vice president of corporate development.
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Phil Wright, president of Williams’ natural gas pipeline business, has been elected chairman of the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA) for 2008. He succeeds Byron Kelley, group president of CenterPoint Energy Pipelines and Field Services. Wright said the pipeline industry has “a lot of challenges ahead,” and “I am looking forward to working with INGAA and its member companies to continue to serve the vital role of helping our nation meet its increasing demand for clean-burning natural gas.” Wright has served as an officer of Williams in a variety of commercial, operating and corporate roles since 1989. He also previously served as the chairman of INGAA’s sister organization, the Association of Oil Pipe Lines. Prior to joining Williams, Wright spent 13 years working for Conoco, a predecessor of ConocoPhillips.
Kempthorne Sworn in as Interior Secretary
Dirk Kempthorne, former governor of Idaho, was officially sworn in Wednesday as the secretary of the Department of Interior in a ceremony at the White House. He succeeds former Interior Secretary Gale Norton who departed in March.
Malcolm Named CEO of Williams
Steven J. Malcolm, current president and COO of Williams, has been named the company’s new CEO by the board of directors. Malcolm, 53, succeeds Chairman Keith E. Bailey as CEO. Bailey will retain his position as chairman until the May 17 shareholders’ meeting, when he is expected to announce his retirement.
Malcolm Named CEO of Williams
Steven J. Malcolm, current president and COO of Williams, has been named the company’s new CEO by the board of directors. Malcolm, 53, succeeds Chairman Keith E. Bailey as CEO. Bailey will retain his position as chairman until the May 17 shareholders’ meeting, when he is expected to announce his retirement.
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FPL Group Inc. announced that Lewis Hay III has been elected president, CEO and a director of the $7 billion electricity-related services company. He succeeds James L. Broadhead, who will remain as chairman through the end of the year. Since March 2000, Hay had been serving as president of FPL Energy, the company’s independent power production company and its fastest growing business. He joined FPL Group in August 1999 as CFO. Hay will continue to serve as president of FPL Energy until a replacement is named, the company said.
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Gary G. Ely, a 34-year-veteran of Spokane, WA-based Avista Corp., was elected chairman of the board, and will retain his titles of president and CEO. He succeeds Larry A. Stanley as chairman, who retired after serving on the board since 1991 and as non-executive chairman since last November. Ely, 53, was named president and CEO in November 2000 after briefly serving as acting president and CEO. He had held the position of executive vice president of Avista before that. In recent months, Ely has been credited with helping Avista Utilities regain its financial strength and with developing a long-term strategy on power issues.
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The Houston Exploration Co. announced on Wednesday the appointment of William G. Hargett as president and CEO. He succeeds James G. Floyd who is retiring after holding those positions for 15 years. Houston Exploration said that Hargett’s extensive technical expertise within the energy industry, most recently as president, North America at Santa Fe Snyder Corp., make him more than qualified for the job. The company also announced that Randall Fleming, senior vice president, exploration and production, has elected to retire from Houston Exploration. As one of the original members of Houston Exploration, Fleming brought his exploration knowledge to the company’s drilling programs in the Gulf of Mexico as well as its onshore programs. Additionally, the company reported that Thomas W. Powers has been promoted to the new position of senior vice president, CFO and treasurer. Houston Exploration will host analyst meetings on Wednesday, April 18 to introduce Hargett and Houston Exploration’s management team.
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The Houston Exploration Co. announced on Wednesday the appointment of William G. Hargett as president and CEO. He succeeds James G. Floyd who is retiring after holding those positions for 15 years. Houston Exploration said that Hargett’s extensive technical expertise within the energy industry, most recently as president, North America at Santa Fe Snyder Corp., make him more than qualified for the job. The company also announced that Randall Fleming, senior vice president, exploration and production, has elected to retire from Houston Exploration. As one of the original members of Houston Exploration, Fleming brought his exploration knowledge to the company’s drilling programs in the Gulf of Mexico as well as its onshore programs. Additionally, the company reported that Thomas W. Powers has been promoted to the new position of senior vice president, CFO and treasurer. Houston Exploration will host analyst meetings on Wednesday, April 18 to introduce Hargett and Houston Exploration’s management team.