Natchez native promoted as Chevron president
Published 12:00 am Sunday, October 21, 2007
NATCHEZ — From Natchez to Kazakhstan, Guy Hollingsworth has seen the world, and he’s not done yet.
A graduate of South Natchez High School and LSU with a degree in petroleum engineering the Natchez native went to work for Chevron nearly 28 years ago.
And since that time Hollingsworth has done pretty well for himself.
Hollingsworth was recently named president of Chevron Eurasia, Europe and Middle East Exploration and Production, which means he is running Chevron in a quarter of the world.
And while that may seem like a daunting task, Hollingsworth said he enjoys his work.
“It’s exciting, it’s vital to the running of the world,” he said.
Currently Hollingsworth lives most of the year in Kazakhstan and spends his days hunting down the next big well.
“They have billions and billions of barrels there,” he said.
But Chevron has only been in that region of the world since the breakdown of the Soviet Union in 1992.
And while billions of barrels of oil certainly sounds like a lot Hollingsworth was quick to point out that oil is a finite resource.
“The days of easy oil are over,” he said.
Hollingsworth said that nowadays companies must go to greater extremes to get their oil.
“Technology is allowing us to do things we could not dream of 10 years ago,” he said.
For instance, Hollingsworth said, that now its rigs are being built to drill oil 30,000 feet below the surface of the sea.
The days of easy oil really are over.
Hollingsworth said on a recent trip to London gasoline was the equivalent of $8 per gallon.
“Enjoy the big cars while you still can,” he said. “Conservation is key.”
Hollingsworth said that in places like London, people are driving much smaller cars. And on trip to Turkey, Hollingsworth observed that while gas was quite high many people offset the cost with solar panels on their homes.
“Running a home consumes tremendous quantities of energy,” he said.
Hollingsworth did say that alternative energy will be in high demand but could not theorize what form it would come in.
But between now and fuels of the future, Hollingsworth is looking forward to his latest long-range move.
He will be moving from Kazakhstan to London for his new promotion.
In the last 31 years, Hollingsworth and his wife moved 24 times.
Whether it’ s golf at Beau Pré or hunting with Vice President Dick Cheney, Hollingsworth is also close to Natchez if only at heart.
“We love it here,” he said. “We will have a place here in Natchez to come to.”
And when Hollingsworth is in Kazakhstan and missing home he often longs for just one thing — Popeye’s chicken.