CNOOC Names New CEO

(Credit: CNOOC)

China's state-owned oil and gas firm China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) has appointed Huang Yongzhang as Chief Executive Officer, alongside several other senior leadership roles within the company.

Yongzhang has been named Vice Chairman, Executive Director, Chief Executive Officer, President and a member of the Strategy and Sustainability Committee, the company said in a statement on March 20.

Born in 1966, Yongzhang is a professor-level senior engineer with a Doctor of Science degree.

He previously held a number of senior roles within China’s oil and gas sector, including Vice President of CNPC International (Nile), Vice President and Chief Safety Officer of China Oil Exploration and Development Corporation, and Executive Vice President and President of CNPC Middle East Corporation.

Yongzhang also served as Director of the CNPC Middle East Regional Coordination Committee.

From April 2020 to September 2025, he was Vice President of China National Petroleum Corporation, where he also served as Chief Safety Officer.

Between September 2020 and September 2025, Yongzhang was a Director of PetroChina Company Limited and served as its President from March 2021.

Since September 2025, Yongzhang has been a Director and General Manager of China National Offshore Oil Corporation.