• Chevron appoints former TotalEnergies executive Emmanuelle Garinet to lead exploration
• She will oversee exploration across sub-Saharan Africa and the Americas
• Appointment follows Chevron reorganization of global exploration operations

Chevron has hired Emmanuelle Garinet, the former head of exploration for Africa at TotalEnergies, to lead its exploration activities in sub-Saharan Africa and the Americas. International media reported the appointment on Tuesday.

In her new role, Garinet will oversee efforts to identify new oil and gas deposits, according to Upstream Online.

Before joining Chevron, Garinet served as vice president for exploration in Africa at TotalEnergies, where she oversaw the search for new oil and gas prospects across several of the continent's basins. She brings more than 30 years of experience to the position, having begun her career as an exploration geologist at the French group, where she helped identify petroleum prospects in multiple regions.

The appointment comes as Chevron reorganizes its exploration operations. In October 2025, the U.S. company named Kevin McLachlan, also a former TotalEnergies executive, as vice president for exploration.

As Ecofin Agency reported at the time, the reorganization aims to organize the search for new hydrocarbon resources around several areas of strategic interest within the group's portfolio.

In Africa, Chevron is evaluating offshore prospects in Namibia. The company is also one of the few international oil firms to have maintained operations in Nigeria, while a number of its competitors, including TotalEnergies, have scaled back their presence there.

Abdel-Latif Boureima