SAO PAULO/RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) – Brazilian state oil company Petrobras said its board of directors on Friday approved the nomination of Magda Chamberillard as the company's new chief executive following the surprise announcement last week.
Chamberyard, a four-decade industry veteran, has already taken up her new position, Petrobras said in a securities filing.
The next CEO, a former head of oil and gas regulator ANP, has been chosen by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to replace former CEO Jean-Paul Prats following his dismissal last week.
Pratts' exit and Champyard's appointment surprised investors and sent stocks lower amid concerns about political interference.
Lula charged Chamberillard with making the oil giant an engine of job creation and industrial development, bringing the company closer to what it was during Lula's first two terms during the period 2002-2010.
Sources previously told Reuters that it would look to invest and breathe new life into local shipyards, fertilizer plants, refineries and gas pipelines, but could face difficulties in dealing with new governance rules and external controls on the company.
On Tuesday, Mines and Energy Minister Alexandre Silveira sought to allay concerns about political interference, noting that Chamboriard would implement the company's $102 billion investment plan for 2024-2028 that was already in place.
Sources told Reuters that Chamberriard, only the second woman to run the company after Graça Foster's tenure from 2012 to 2015, has already held informal meetings this week at Petrobras' headquarters in Rio de Janeiro.
Chamberriard is scheduled to hold her first news conference as CEO on Monday afternoon in Rio de Janeiro.