{{Short description|American businessperson and CEO of Chevron (born 1960)}} {{Infobox person | name = Michael Wirth | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1960|10|15}} | birth_place = | death_date = | death_place = | education = University of Colorado, Boulder (BS) | occupation = CEO, Chevron Corporation | predecessor = John S. Watson (Chevron CEO)
}} '''Michael K. Wirth''' (born October 15, 1960) is an American businessman who has been the chairman and CEO of Chevron Corporation since 2018.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|last=Olson|first=Bradley|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/chevron-names-michael-wirth-chairman-ceo-1506607884|title=Chevron Names Michael Wirth Chairman, CEO|date=2017-09-28|work=Wall Street Journal|access-date=2020-04-02|language=en-US|issn=0099-9660}}</ref> Previously, he was the vice chairman of the company.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2017/08/22/meet-michael-wirth-the-man-who-could-soon-lead-chevron.html|title=Meet Michael Wirth, the man who could soon lead Chevron|last=DiChristopher|first=Tom|date=2017-08-22|website=CNBC|language=en|access-date=2020-04-02}}</ref>
== Early life == After graduating from high school, Wirth attended the University of Colorado, where he earned a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering in 1982.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-01-22|title=Chevron CEO: Mike Wirth Biography|url=https://brooksysociety.com/2020/01/22/chevron-ceo-mike-wirth-biography/|access-date=2021-05-29|website=Brooksy|language=en-US}}</ref> Wirth played football and basketball at school.<ref>https://www.ft.com/content/1902a8ef-7078-47e2-8a62-b6f0050ed569</ref>
== Career == Wirth joined Chevron as a design engineer<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.aspenideas.org/speakers/mike-wirth | title=Chairman and CEO, Chevron Corporation | Aspen Ideas }}</ref> in 1982. He worked in multiple sectors including engineering, construction, and operations.<ref name=":0" />In 2001 he became president of marketing for Chevron's Asia, Africa and Middle East region.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.chevron.com/about/leadership/michael-wirth|title=Meet Mike Wirth, Chairman of the Board and CEO|website=Chevron Policy, Government and Public Affairs|language=en-us|access-date=2020-04-02}}</ref>
He has been on the board of directors for Caltex Australia and GS Caltex.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thewest.com.au/business/boards/michael-wirth-takes-the-reins-from-john-watson-at-chevron-ng-b88614613z|title=Wirth takes the reins at Chevron|date=2017-09-29|website=The West Australian|language=en|access-date=2020-04-02}}</ref>
=== Chevron === In 2018, Wirth was widely speculated and eventually confirmed to succeed John S. Watson as CEO of Chevron.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" /> Wirth is a member of the board of the American Petroleum Institute, a trade group in the oil industry.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Westervelt |first1=Amy |author-link=Amy Westervelt |last2=Wright |first2=Georgia |last3=Olenick |first3=Liat |date=2021-10-27 |title=The dirty dozen: meet America's top climate villains |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/oct/27/climate-crisis-villains-americas-dirty-dozen |access-date=2023-07-26 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>
Wirth's company, Chevron, is responsible for one of the highest total carbon sequestration of any private company worldwide.{{Citation needed|date=March 2025}} Despite these practices, Wirth's company has been involved in several greenwashing tactics, and was found by a Federal Trade Commission to be misleading its customers on its efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2021-03-16 |title=Chevron 'Greenwashing' Targeted in Complaint Filed With FTC |language=en |work=Bloomberg.com |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-16/chevron-greenwashing-targeted-in-complaint-filed-with-u-s-ftc |access-date=2022-05-08}}</ref> In response to CNBC host Jim Cramer asking if Chevron had considered calls to invest in alternative energy, Wirth responded that Chevron would rather the money “go back to our shareholders and let them plant trees, go invest in a wind and solar developer and have the right to do that with a growing dividend that comes out of our company.”<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-09-15 |title=Chevron CEO explains why the oil giant's lower-carbon investments look past wind and solar energy |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/15/chevron-ceo-mike-wirth-on-the-oil-giants-lower-carbon-investments.html |access-date=2022-07-11 |website=CNBC |language=en}}</ref>
In November 2025, Wirth attended a red carpet dinner at the White House for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Bin Salman, invited by President Donald Trump, was making his first visit to the United States since 2018.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2025-11-19 |title=Here’s Who’s Attending Trump’s Dinner for the Saudi Crown Prince: Elon Musk, Cristiano Ronaldo and more. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/18/us/politics/trump-saudi-dinner-guests.html |work=New York Times |language=en}}</ref>
==Personal life== Wirth and his wife have four adult children.<ref>https://www.ft.com/content/1902a8ef-7078-47e2-8a62-b6f0050ed569</ref>
Wirth moved to Houston, Texas in 2024 as part of Chevron's corporate headquarters relocating to avoid high labor costs and other staffing issues in California.<ref> https://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/chevron-exec-explains-hq-move-from-california-texas-tough-place-do-business.amp </ref>
Wirth typically is asleep by 10pm and wakes at 3.45am, when he does a 90 minute gym session.<ref>https://www.ft.com/content/1902a8ef-7078-47e2-8a62-b6f0050ed569</ref>
== References == {{Reflist}}{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wirth, Michael}} Category:1960 births Category:Living people Category:Directors of Chevron Corporation Category:Businesspeople from Colorado Category:University of Colorado alumni Category:American chief executives of Fortune 500 companies
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