The appointment of Zhou Xinhuai as Chief Executive Officer of CNOOC Limited took effect on April 28, 2022. He was later named Vice Chairman of the board on May 8, 2024. These steps marked a rapid rise within this Chinese state-owned company specialized in oil and gas.
Before moving into the executive role, Zhou served as chief geologist for the East China Sea area of CNOOC and for the Shanghai branch of CNOOC (China) Limited. He then headed the company’s exploration division from October 2019 to March 2021 and led the Hainan branch of CNOOC (China) Limited from March 2021 to March 2022. These responsibilities covered critical stages of offshore exploration and production and regional operations management.
As a professor-level senior engineer, Zhou holds a Ph.D. in energy geological engineering obtained in 2008 from the China University of Geosciences, after a master’s degree from the Chengdu University of Technology in coalfield, oil and gas geology and exploration.
Zhou’s resignation, announced by CNOOC Limited on October 20, 2025, follows his appointment as chairman of China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) in August 2025 by the Organization Department of the Communist Party of China’s Central Committee. This type of managerial rotation is common among China’s major state-owned oil companies.
For CNOOC, the transition comes as the company intensifies offshore activities and explores gas resources in the South China Sea. Zhou’s departure opens a period of change at the top of the company, with developments to watch on governance, project execution and coordination within the group.
