Occidental Petroleum lands in Houston the week of its CEO succession

Occidental Petroleum flew from Midland to Houston on May 13, arriving at George Bush Intercontinental just before 11 p.m. The Embraer ERJ-175, tail N170XY, made the 68-minute hop from the Permian Basin to the company's headquarters city.

The trip comes the same week Occidental Petroleum prepares for a leadership transition. Vicki Hollub will retire as president and CEO on June 1, with chief operating officer Richard Jackson succeeding her, per a May 1 announcement carried by Bloomberg Law and the Midland Reporter-Telegram. The board also named Jackson to the board effective the same day. Hollub, who has led the company since 2016, will remain a director. The flight from Midland — the heart of Occidental Petroleum's Permian Delaware Basin operations — to Houston suggests a final round of transition discussions or a board update before the change takes effect.

The ERJ-175, primarily used as an employee shuttle, has been busy this week. On May 13 alone it flew Midland-Houston-Midland before the evening leg back to Houston, and on May 12 it shuttled between the same two cities twice. The pattern reflects Occidental Petroleum's routine movement of personnel between its Houston headquarters and its largest producing region.