Vicki Hollub, president and chief executive officer of Occidental Petroleum Corp., speaks during the 2017 CERAWeek by IHS Markit conference in Houston, Texas, U.S., on Tuesday, March 7, 2017. CERAWeek gathers energy industry leaders, experts, government officials and policymakers, leaders from the technology, financial, and industrial communities to provide new insights and critically-important dialogue on energy markets. Photographer: F. Carter Smith/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The first woman to helm a major U.S. energy explorer, Hollub’s first order of business when she took the reins at Occidental last April was cutting costs. The company has shed 25% of its assets since 2013, refocusing on the Southwest’s oil-rich Permian Basin. In the past two years, it halved what it spends per barrel in the region, while increasing output. The industry has struggled as oil prices have languished, but Hollub managed to turn a profit in the past two quarters—a first for the company since 2015.