Woods chosen to succeed Tillerson as ExxonMobil chairman, CEO

Darren W. Woods has been elected chairman and chief executive officer by the board of ExxonMobil Corp. The move is effective Jan. 1.

Currently president, Woods is slated to succeed the retiring Rex W. Tillerson, who was nominated to the position of Secretary of State by US President-elect Donald J. Trump (OGJ Online, Dec. 14, 2016).

Tillerson, who’s spent 41 years at the company, was scheduled to retire in March 2017 when he reached age 65, the company’s mandatory retirement age for his position. Tillerson and the board, however, had decided that “given the significant requirements associated with the confirmation process, it was appropriate to move the retirement date.”

Woods was elected president of ExxonMobil and a member of the board in January. He joined Exxon Co. International in 1992.

In 2012, he was appointed president of ExxonMobil Refining & Supply Co. and a vice-president of the corporation, with primary responsibility for the company’s global refining, supply, and transportation activities. In 2014, he was named a senior vice-president of the corporation and became a member of its management committee.