Chevron Appoints Veteran Geophysicist Emmanuelle Garinet to Lead Exploration Across Americas and Sub-Saharan Africa

Chevron appoints Emmanuelle Garinet to lead exploration in the Americas and Africa. Learn about her role in upcoming 2026 drilling projects and discovery strategy.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 11, 2026, 8:37 AM EDT

Source: The information in this article was sourced from LEADERSHIP Media Group

A Strategic Shift in Upstream Leadership

Chevron has finalized the appointment of Emmanuelle Garinet to oversee its discovery strategy in both the Americas and Sub-Saharan Africa, signaling a renewed focus on high-yield exploration frontiers. As a veteran geophysicist with over thirty years of international experience, Garinet is tasked with managing exploration portfolios across several of the world’s most critical petroleum provinces. This leadership change comes at a time when the company is balancing its established producing assets in the Western Hemisphere with aggressive new prospecting efforts across the African continent.

Expanding the African Frontier in Namibia and Nigeria

Under the new leadership framework, Chevron is intensifying its evaluation of frontier basins, particularly within the highly anticipated Orange Basin offshore Namibia. According to company timelines, exploration drilling in the Walvis Basin is scheduled to commence between 2026 and 2027 under Petroleum Exploration License 82. Simultaneously, the company is deepening its footprint in West Africa by acquiring a significant 40 percent stake in Nigerian offshore licenses PPL 2000 and PPL 2001. Plans are currently in motion to deploy a drilling rig by late 2026 to target resources adjacent to the prolific Agbami field.

Advancing Gas Monetization and Production in Angola

The appointment also places Garinet in charge of Chevron’s enduring interests in Angola, where the company recently achieved significant production milestones. In December 2025, first oil was extracted from the South N’dola platform in Block 0, contributing approximately 25,000 barrels of oil per day to the national output. Beyond crude extraction, the project is a cornerstone of regional gas monetization efforts, funneling associated gas to the Angola LNG plant. This integrated approach serves a dual purpose of supporting local energy infrastructure while making measurable strides in reducing gas flaring.