CapstoneEngineerMagazineFall2026 - Flipbook - Page 17
Hollub never set out to become a CEO. She only
wanted to be the best engineer she could be and to help
her family live a better life. She described going to work
every day as requiring the same level of intensity as
playing in a championship game. She pushed herself to
do a little more each day.
For years, she measured success the way many young
engineers do: solve the problem, 昀椀nish the project and do
it well. If a task was dif昀椀cult, she often preferred to take
it on herself.
But when Hollub lost her mother, she began
re昀氀ecting on the qualities that made her mother so
admired by those around her. Friends wanted to spend
time with her. Coworkers valued her perspective. Her
mother had never 昀椀nished high school, working at Sears
after earning her GED certi昀椀cate. Yet her sales were
always high and people listened when she spoke.
“When she passed, I gave another thought to what
made her that kind of person that people liked and felt
drawn to,” Hollub said.
Her mother’s passing changed her style, how she
viewed teamwork and how she interacted with others.
Hollub realized there had been past projects that she
could have worked on with a team but instead chose to
complete alone. Moving forward, she looked to work
with others.
“To win a championship, every team member must
be stronger every day. We’re not looking for a superstar
to have the ball all the time. We’re looking for those who
bring out the best in the organization and those who are
willing to pass the ball,” Hollub said.
Hollub was named president and CEO of Occidental
Petroleum in 2016, becoming the 昀椀rst woman to lead a
major American oil company.
“It all happened so fast,” she said.
Hollub called the experience “surreal.” She was
shocked to discover she was being considered for the
role, and even more so upon being selected. It was not
until later — when women in the industry excitedly
reached out and Hollub saw how deeply it resonated with
them — that she realized the signi昀椀cance of being the
昀椀rst woman in that role.
“
Hollub has held a variety of leadership positions
within Occidental and served as an advisor to the U.S.
Department of Energy. She was also named to the Forbes
Most Powerful Women list twice, ranked No. 47 in 2019
and No. 59 in 2025.
Hollub distinguished herself as one of the 昀椀rst major
oil and gas leaders to take a serious environmental
stance. Under her leadership, Occidental pledged to
offset Scope 3 emissions — the carbon released when
consumers burn its products — which can represent up to
95% of a company’s total footprint, making the company
an outlier in the industry. Hollub also championed
direct air capture technology, with plans for large-scale
facilities designed to pull carbon dioxide directly from the
atmosphere.
“We’re putting carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
Over time, it’s probably not a good thing. I don’t know
anybody who’s excited to have carbon dioxide go into
the atmosphere. We happen to be a company that can,
instead of just accepting it, take technology and put it to
good use for sustainability. To me, that’s a no-brainer,”
she said. “It’s just the right thing to do.”
When asked how she would like her legacy to be
remembered beyond those accomplishments, Hollub said
she hopes people know that it is important to treat your
organization and employees well through success and
downturns.
Hollub retired as president and CEO of Occidental
in June 2026. She looks forward to spending time with
family and completing more of her bucket list items
during retirement.
“Every year, my husband and I, and my brother and
his wife, get together at Christmastime and work on our
bucket lists. We were doing pretty well with our lists
prior to me getting this [CEO] role. And I slowed down
this whole process,” she laughed. “I’m looking forward
to doing things with them again.”
Hollub credits The University of Alabama and the
lessons learned decades ago from coach Bear Bryant with
setting her on the path that led to her success. Without
it, her career in engineering, her rise to the CEO role at
Occidental and the far-reaching impact she made on the
industry might never have been possible.
BELOW LEFT TO RIGHT: Supporting the next generation of professional women at the inaugural Federation for
Professional Women in Houston and Surrounding Areas event in 2022; Throwing the ceremonial first pitch at an Astros
game as part of a community health partnership among Oxy, Houston Methodist and the Houston Astros focused on
serving uninsured and underserved populations; Meeting Pope Francis at the Vatican during a 2018 summit on the global
energy transition, where Hollub was one of only two U.S. oil company CEOs invited to participate; Visiting with
employees at Oxy’s Oman headquarters in Muscat during a gathering celebrating the company’s global workforce.
FALL 2026 | CAPSTONE ENGINEER | 17
