Chevron is the last of the major oil companies that remains dedicated to owning and operating retail sites. According to [image-nocss] its website, it has network of nearly 10,000 Chevron (8,800) and Texaco (1,200) branded gas stations.
"Chevron is well positioned to enter the next chapter of its history and John's the right person to lead the company in the future," said O'Reilly, 62. "I am enormously proud of what we have achieved in recent years, and John has played a pivotal role in many of our most significant achievements. Not only has John established himself as a proven leader, but his unique mix of corporate and operational experience combined with his strategic vision makes him ideally suited to be our next chairman and CEO."
Watson said, "I am truly honored to follow Dave as chairman and CEO of Chevron and to lead one of the strongest management teams in our industry. Under Dave's leadership, we have built a project portfolio that is the envy of our industry, grown our profitability and moved our company to the forefront of our industry in safety and reliability. Dave will leave a lasting legacy as one of our industry's most impressive and pragmatic leaders."
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 chief financial officer.
In 2005, Watson was elected president of Chevron International Exploration & Production, with responsibility for the company's exploration and production activities outside North America. In 2008, he was elected executive vice president for strategy and development. Watson is a director of the American Petroleum Institute.
The Chevron board also elected George L. Kirkland, 59, to be vice chairman, succeeding Watson in that capacity. As vice chairman and executive vice president of Upstream & Gas, Kirkland will retain responsibility for overseeing Chevron's global exploration and production activities for crude oil and natural gas.
Kirkland has served in numerous upstream leadership positions inside and outside the United States over the course of his 35-year career with the company. He 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 and holding positions of increasing responsibility in Chevron operations, 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 & Production operations in 2001. He was later appointed corporate vice president and president of Chevron's International Exploration & Production operations in 2002 and assumed his current position in January 2005.
Since O'Reilly became CEO in 2000, the company has increased its production by more than 60%; established the best exploration record among its peers in the industry; advanced Chevron's safety record to world-class levels; and been among the best of its peer companies in total shareholder return over this period, the company said. It added that he also led two major industry transactionsthe 2001 merger with Texaco and the acquisition of Unocal in 2005.
San Ramon, Calif.-based Chevron is one of the world's leading integrated energy companies, with subsidiaries that conduct business worldwide. It explores for, produces and transports crude oil and natural gas; refines, markets and distributes transportation fuels and other energy products; manufactures and sells petrochemical products; generates power and produces geothermal energy; provides energy efficiency solutions; and develops the energy resources of the future, including biofuels and other renewables.
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