US supermajor Chevron has employed a former TotalEnergies executive, Kevin McLachlan, as its new global exploration leader. Liz Schwarze, the company’s current executive in the role, is set to retire after a 36-year run with Chevron, hence the decision to hire Kevin, who led TotalEnergies’ exploration efforts for a decade as senior vice president.
With a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Calgary and previous experience at companies like Murphy Oil, Nexen and ExxonMobil, Kevin will work in Houston, where Chevron relocated its corporate headquarters last year.
According to the president of Chevron’s upstream segment, Clay Neff, Kevin’s experience as a respected energy executive will go a long way towards guaranteeing quality performance and value creation at his new company.
“Kevin will be an important addition to the exploration organization. He joins us as an experienced energy executive with extensive experience, and a strong record of leading and driving exploration organizations to achieve industry-leading performance and value creation,” he said.
Outgoing Liz Schwarze assumed her role as Chevron’s vice president of global exploration in 2018, making her the first woman to hold the position.
Joining Chevron in 1990 as a geologist and holding roles in exploration, finance and business planning, Liz earned her Bachelor’s degree from Duke University and her Master’s degrees from the University of Texas and Tulane University.
Appreciating her for a job well done in her role, Neff expressed his gratitude for the memorable contributions Liz made at the company over the years.
He concluded by lauding her reliable and collaborative leadership that consistently delivered good results.
“Liz’s career has touched multiple aspects of Chevron’s portfolio, and I’m grateful for the contributions she has made to Chevron over the course of her career. Liz’s thoughtful and collaborative leadership has consistently improved business outcomes in every organization and location where she has worked,” he added.
TotalEnergies has already named Kevin McLachlan’s replacement, hiring Nicola Mavilla from Italian major Eni.
The latest development marks a decisive period of change for Chevron, which recently announced that it was restructuring its oil, products and gas business into two segments: upstream, and downstream, midstream and chemicals.

Folami David is a dynamic journalist who views the world through an analytical lens, translating complex narratives across multiple industries into compelling stories. With an insatiable appetite for information and a keen eye for emerging trends, Folami specializes in uncovering the interconnections between technology, business, culture, and society.