Occidental chief Hollub named winner of Dewhurst Award

WPC Energy has awarded Occidental chief executive Vicki Hollub its prestigious Dewhurst Award.

The award, the highest honour given by WPC Energy, will be formally presented to Hollub at the 25th WPC Energy Congress, formerly the World Petroleum Congress, in April 2026 in Riyadh.

Chief executive of US operator Occidental since 2016, Hollub is the first woman to receive the honour and becomes only its thirteenth recipient since it was first conferred in 1991.

Previous winners included Saudi Aramco chief executive Amin Nasser, energy historian Daniel Yergin and former ExxonMobil chief Rex Tillerson.

The Dewhurst Award is given to exceptional individuals whose leadership and contributions have had a lasting impact on the global energy industry.

Hollub is the first woman to lead a major US oil and gas company and has held a variety of roles in her 40-year career with Occidental, including chief operating officer and senior executive vice president.

She has been an ardent supporter of direct air capture (DAC) and has led strategic acquisitions for Occidental such as Anadarko and CrownRock. She also serves on the boards of Lockheed Martin and the American Petroleum Institute.

“Vicki Hollub’s visionary leadership and unwavering dedication to innovation and sustainability have set a benchmark for excellence in our industry,” WPC Energy President Pedro Miras said in a statement.

“She embodies the spirit of the Dewhurst Award — forward looking, courageous and deeply committed to advancing the global energy dialogue. Her contributions continue to inspire the next generation of energy leaders.”

Hollub will be the fourth US recipient of the award, following Yergin, Tillerson and former Chevron chief executive Kenneth Derr.

The award is named after Thomas Dewhurst, the former president of the UK’s Institute of Petroleum and the organiser of the first World Petroleum Congress in 1933.