Chevron appoints new head of exploration for Sub-Saharan Africa, Americas

US oil and gas supermajor Chevron (NYSE:CVX) has appointed Emmanuelle Garinet as director of exploration for the Americas and Sub-Saharan Africa.

As a former exploration leader at global integrated energy giant TotalEnergies (EPA/NYSE/LSE:TTE), Garinet brings over three decades of experience in exploration geology and upstream international leadership to the role.

The appointment places one of the upstream sector’s most experienced exploration geophysicists in a senior leadership role overseeing exploration activities across two of the world’s key hydrocarbon regions, the African Energy Chamber (AEC) said in a media statement on March 10.

Garinet began her career as a geophysicist specialising in seismic analysis and subsurface evaluation before moving into management positions overseeing major exploration portfolios. Over time, she held senior leadership roles across several regions, managing exploration programmes in Nigeria, Gabon and South America.

One of her key achievements was leading TotalEnergies’ exploration team that discovered the Venus field offshore Namibia in 2022, one of the largest recent deepwater oil finds with potential reserves of up to 2 billion barrels. The Venus project is now moving towards its development phase, with TotalEnergies and its joint venture (JV) partners expected to reach a final investment decision (FID) in 2026.

The AEC welcomed Chevron’s appointment of Garinet to lead discovery strategy across Sub-Saharan Africa and the Americas, describing it as a positive step for attracting exploration investment.

“Exploration leadership with deep technical expertise and real experience in Africa’s basins is critical as the continent seeks to unlock new resources and attract global investment,” AEC executive chairman NJ Ayuk said. “Emmanuelle Garinet brings decades of geological insight and international exploration leadership. Her appointment at Chevron sends a strong signal about the continued importance of African energy development.”

Chevron is expanding exploration activities across Sub-Saharan Africa’s frontier basins and establishing production hubs as part of a new exploration-led growth strategy. Namibia has become a key focus following major discoveries in the Orange Basin, with Chevron planning to drill an exploration well in the Walvis Basin’s PEL 82 licence between 2026 and 2027.

In Nigeria, the company is strengthening its deepwater position after acquiring a 40% stake in licences PPL 2000 and PPL 2001 from TotalEnergies, with drilling planned near the Agbami field in late 2026. Angola remains central to Chevron’s portfolio, where the company achieved first oil at the South N’dola platform in Block 0 in December 2025, producing about 25,000 barrels per day.

According to the AEC, these developments underline the importance of continued exploration to unlock new energy resources in Africa while supporting regional economic growth and energy security.

Garinet has also been an active supporter of African energy development and a regular speaker at the annual African Energy Week conference in Cape Town, where she has emphasised the value of advanced seismic data, frontier exploration and efficient permitting in attracting investment and expanding exploration across the continent.