Occidental Petroleum Corp. said Jan. 2 that Andrew Gould, former head of top oilfield services company Schlumberger Ltd., has been elected to its board of directors.

Gould has more than 40 years of experience in the oil and gas industry. From 2003 to 2011, he served as chairman and CEO of Schlumberger. He had begun his career at Schlumberger in 1975 in its internal audit department.

Gene L. Batchelder, chairman of Occidental’s board, said Gould’s extensive experience in the oil and gas industry brings a “valuable perspective” to the board, particularly at a time when the company is focusing on generating shareholder returns.

“Throughout his long career, he drove significant value creation while managing a global business,” Batchelder said in a statement. “Andrew’s knowledge and decades of operational and financial leadership in the industry will benefit the Board and add valuable insight as Occidental continues to focus on generating returns for shareholders.”

In addition to his career at Schlumberger, Gould served as non-executive chairman of BG Group from 2012 until its sale to Royal Dutch Shell Plc in 2016. He also served as interim executive chairman in 2014.

Gould currently serves as a member of the board of directors of Saudi Aramco and BJ Services, a private oilfield services company.

Regarding his appointment to the Occidental board, Gould said he has long admired Occidental’s industry position and demonstrated ability to innovate. In particular, he noted the company’s use of CO₂ in EOR, which he said will be an important element in lowering its total emissions.

Gould’s appointment to the Occidental board is effective March 1.