Chevron has appointed Emmanuelle Garinet as Director of Exploration for the Americas and Sub-Saharan Africa, bringing to the role a geoscientist and senior industry executive with more than three decades of international exploration experience.
Garinet is expected to join Chevron in mid-May, following a 30-year career with TotalEnergies, where she most recently served as Vice President for Exploration in Africa.
Her appointment places her in charge of shaping Chevron’s exploration strategy across two of the world’s most important hydrocarbon provinces—the Americas and Sub-Saharan Africa—with responsibility for identifying new resources, expanding the company’s upstream portfolio, and advancing commercial discoveries.
A 30-Year Career in Global Oil Exploration
Garinet’s career spans the transformation of the French oil major from Elf Aquitaine to TotalFinaElf, and eventually TotalEnergies, one of the world’s largest integrated energy companies.
She began her career as a geophysicist, working on subsurface analysis and exploration programmes before moving into leadership roles overseeing complex international exploration portfolios.
Over the course of three decades, she held a series of senior technical and executive positions across multiple continents, contributing to exploration campaigns in emerging and mature basins alike.
Her experience includes:
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Leading exploration strategy and drilling programmes across Africa
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Managing multidisciplinary geoscience teams
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Evaluating frontier basins and high-risk exploration prospects
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Advancing discoveries from subsurface interpretation to commercial development
Garinet’s work has involved both the excitement of major discoveries and the technical discipline required when exploration wells fail, an experience she has described as central to learning in the upstream sector.
Leadership Role in African Exploration
As Vice President for Exploration Africa at TotalEnergies, Garinet played a significant role in overseeing exploration across one of the most geologically diverse and commercially important regions in the global oil and gas industry.
Sub-Saharan Africa remains a key frontier for hydrocarbons, with recent discoveries in countries including Namibia and Guyana highlighting the continuing importance of exploration-led growth for international oil companies.
Her leadership helped coordinate exploration efforts across multiple African jurisdictions, working closely with host governments, national oil companies and international partners.
A Strategic Role at Chevron
At Chevron, Garinet will oversee exploration activity across two major regions:
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The Americas, including established producing basins and frontier prospects
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Sub-Saharan Africa, where international oil companies continue to pursue new discoveries
Her mandate includes expanding Chevron’s exploration footprint, identifying commercially viable oil and gas resources, and strengthening partnerships with host countries.
The role sits at the heart of Chevron’s upstream strategy as global energy companies balance investment in new hydrocarbon resources with the pressures of energy transition and capital discipline.
Industry Experience and Global Perspective
Garinet’s career has been shaped by international assignments, extensive field experience and collaboration with geoscientists, engineers and exploration teams across the world.
Her professional journey reflects the increasingly global nature of upstream energy careers, where senior executives often develop expertise across multiple geological provinces and regulatory environments.
With her move to Chevron, Garinet joins a group of senior exploration leaders responsible for sustaining long-term resource replacement in one of the world’s largest publicly traded oil companies.
A New Chapter in Exploration
Announcing her move, Garinet described the transition as both the closing of a 30-year chapter and the beginning of a new phase in her career.
She said she looks forward to working with Chevron teams to unlock subsurface potential and deliver commercial discoveries that create long-term value for both the company and the countries where it operates.
For the global upstream industry—where exploration success increasingly depends on deep technical expertise, disciplined capital allocation and geopolitical awareness—Garinet’s appointment adds an experienced exploration strategist to Chevron’s leadership ranks.
Who Is Emmanuelle Garinet?
Emmanuelle Garinet is a geophysicist and senior oil industry executive with more than three decades of experience in global exploration. Before joining Chevron, she spent 30 years at TotalEnergies, where she rose to become Vice President for Exploration Africa.
Her career spans the transformation of the French oil major from Elf Aquitaine to TotalFinaElf, and ultimately TotalEnergies.
Garinet began her career as a geophysicist, specialising in subsurface interpretation and exploration strategy, before moving into leadership roles overseeing exploration programmes across Africa and other international regions.
Emmanuelle Garinet: Career Snapshot
| Position | Organisation | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Director of Exploration, Americas & Sub-Saharan Africa | Chevron | Global exploration leadership |
| Vice President, Exploration Africa | TotalEnergies | Exploration strategy across Africa |
| Exploration Executive | Total / TotalFinaElf | International exploration portfolio |
| Geophysicist | Elf Aquitaine | Subsurface analysis and exploration |
