Michael K. Wirth
Summary
Michael K. Wirth has been Chevron’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer since 2018, after spending his entire career in leadership roles across the company. ([chevron.com](https://www.chevron.com/who-we-are/leadership/michael-wirth?utm_source=openai))
Biography
Wirth joined Chevron in 1982 as a design engineer after earning a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Colorado. He later held senior roles in global supply and trading, downstream and chemicals, and midstream and development, becoming vice chairman in 2017 and chairman and CEO in 2018. ([chevron.com](https://www.chevron.com/who-we-are/leadership/michael-wirth?utm_source=openai)) As CEO, Wirth has overseen Chevron’s integrated oil, gas, refining, chemicals and emerging-energy businesses. His tenure has included expansion in the Permian Basin, the company’s acquisition of PDC Energy, the 2025 acquisition of Hess, and a continuing focus on cost and capital discipline. ([chevron.com](https://www.chevron.com/annual-report?mod=mod_e2456e64&utm_source=openai))
Notable achievements
- Led Chevron through the $53 billion acquisition of Hess, completed in July 2025 after arbitration and regulatory issues were resolved. ([chevron.com](https://www.chevron.com/newsroom/2025/q3/chevron-completes-acquisition-of-hess-corporation?utm_source=openai))
- Oversaw record 2025 worldwide and U.S. oil-equivalent production, with Hess, Permian growth and major project ramp-ups contributing to the increase. ([chevroncorp.gcs-web.com](https://chevroncorp.gcs-web.com/news-releases/news-release-details/chevron-reports-fourth-quarter-2025-results?utm_source=openai))
- Advanced Chevron’s Permian growth strategy while shifting some capital toward free cash flow and reducing the 2025 capital budget by $2 billion year over year. ([chevron.com](https://www.chevron.com/newsroom/2025/q3/built-on-legacy-driven-by-discipline-chevrons-permian-advantage-explained?utm_source=openai))
- Led a structural cost-reduction program that delivered $1.5 billion of reductions in 2025, toward a stated $3 billion to $4 billion target by the end of 2026. ([chevroncorp.gcs-web.com](https://chevroncorp.gcs-web.com/news-releases/news-release-details/chevron-reports-fourth-quarter-2025-results?utm_source=openai))
- Presided over Chevron’s continued dividend-growth record; the company said 2025 positioned it to increase its annual dividend payout per share for the 39th consecutive year. ([chevroncorp.gcs-web.com](https://chevroncorp.gcs-web.com/news-releases/news-release-details/chevron-reports-fourth-quarter-2025-results?utm_source=openai))
Problem areas / controversies
- The Hess transaction faced antitrust scrutiny from the Federal Trade Commission, which imposed conditions before later reopening and setting aside its January 2025 order. ([ftc.gov](https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2025/01/ftc-approves-final-order-chevron-hess-deal?utm_source=openai))
- Chevron’s fossil-fuel strategy under Wirth has drawn criticism from climate advocates and has been the subject of climate-related litigation; Chevron has contested the claims. ([apnews.com](https://apnews.com/article/cab2011439c4849005988bd871104cce?utm_source=openai))
- The Hess integration and promised synergies remain execution challenges, with Chevron itself identifying integration, cost-savings and commodity-price risks in its transaction disclosures. ([chevron.com](https://www.chevron.com/newsroom/2025/q3/chevron-completes-acquisition-of-hess-corporation?utm_source=openai))
- Chevron remains exposed to volatile oil and gas prices, geopolitical events, regulatory changes and the long-term shift toward lower-carbon energy sources. ([chevron.com](https://www.chevron.com/newsroom/2025/q3/chevron-completes-acquisition-of-hess-corporation?utm_source=openai))