Olivier Le Peuch

Olivier Le Peuch
Born	Template:Birth year and age
Birthplace	France
Nationality	French
Occupation	Business executive
Title	Chief Executive Officer, SLB
Known for	CEO of SLB (formerly Schlumberger)
Education	University of Bordeaux
Website	[https://www.slb.com/who-we-are/executive-management/olivier-le-peuch Official site]

Olivier Le Peuch (born 1963 or 1964) is a French business executive who has served as the chief executive officer (CEO) of SLB (formerly known as Schlumberger), the world's largest oilfield services company, since August 1, 2019. A career-long Schlumberger employee, Le Peuch rose through the ranks of the multinational corporation over more than three decades, holding a succession of leadership positions across multiple continents and business segments before being appointed to lead the company. His tenure as CEO has been defined by a period of significant strategic transformation, including the rebranding of the 96-year-old Schlumberger name to SLB, a heightened focus on digital and technology-driven solutions, and the navigation of volatile global energy markets shaped by fluctuating oil demand, geopolitical uncertainty, and the broader energy transition. Under his leadership, SLB has continued to operate in more than 100 countries, maintaining its position as the dominant provider of technology and services to the global oil and gas industry.

Early Life

Olivier Le Peuch was born in France in approximately 1963 or 1964. Little has been publicly documented about his upbringing or family background prior to his entry into the oil and gas industry. Le Peuch pursued higher education in his home country, attending the University of Bordeaux, where he studied engineering and technology subjects that would form the foundation of his subsequent career in the energy services sector.

Education

Le Peuch is a graduate of the University of Bordeaux in France. His academic background in engineering and applied sciences provided the technical grounding upon which he built a career spanning more than three decades in the oilfield services industry. The University of Bordeaux is one of France's principal public research universities, with a strong reputation in science and technology disciplines.

Career

Early Career at Schlumberger

Le Peuch joined Schlumberger early in his professional life and spent his entire career at the company prior to becoming CEO. Over the course of more than 30 years, he held a series of progressively senior roles across the organization's various business lines and geographic regions. His early career involved engineering and operations positions within Schlumberger's technology and services divisions, giving him deep operational experience in the field-level delivery of oilfield services.

According to the company's official biography, Le Peuch accumulated experience across multiple segments of Schlumberger's operations, including wireline, testing, and other technical service lines. This broad exposure to the company's diverse portfolio of technologies and services was instrumental in preparing him for enterprise-level leadership.

Senior Leadership Roles

Before his appointment as CEO, Le Peuch held several senior executive positions within Schlumberger's organizational structure. He served in leadership roles overseeing key business segments and geographic areas, progressively expanding his responsibilities within the company's global operations.

Le Peuch served as the executive vice president of Schlumberger's Cameron Group, which the company had acquired in 2016 in a major transaction that expanded its portfolio into surface equipment and flow control technologies. His leadership of the Cameron Group was a significant factor in his eventual selection as CEO, as the integration of Cameron into Schlumberger's broader operations was one of the company's most important strategic undertakings during that period.

He also held the position of president of the company's Completions business segment, one of Schlumberger's core revenue-generating divisions focused on well completion technologies and services. Through these roles, Le Peuch developed expertise in both the technology-heavy and commercially oriented sides of the oilfield services business.

Appointment as CEO

In April 2019, Bloomberg News reported that Schlumberger was leaning toward selecting Le Peuch as its next chief executive officer, succeeding Paal Kibsgaard, who had led the company since 2011. The appointment was formally announced in July 2019, with Le Peuch assuming the role of CEO effective August 1, 2019.

The leadership transition occurred during a period of significant challenge for the global oilfield services sector. The industry had been navigating the aftermath of the 2014–2016 oil price downturn, and while conditions had partially recovered, the sector continued to face margin pressures, capital discipline from upstream operators, and growing investor scrutiny regarding returns and environmental performance.

Reuters reported that Le Peuch's appointment signaled a continuation of Schlumberger's technology-first strategy, with the new CEO expected to deepen the company's focus on digital transformation and high-value technology services. The Houston Chronicle noted that Le Peuch inherited a profitable but evolving company that was seeking to differentiate itself through innovation and operational efficiency in an increasingly competitive marketplace.

Strategic Direction and Company Transformation

Under Le Peuch's leadership, Schlumberger underwent one of the most significant transformations in its nearly century-long history. In October 2022, the company rebranded from Schlumberger to SLB, a move that Le Peuch framed as reflecting the company's evolution beyond traditional oilfield services into a broader technology company serving the global energy industry. The rebranding accompanied a strategic pivot toward digital solutions, decarbonization technologies, and new energy ventures alongside the company's traditional oil and gas services portfolio.

Le Peuch has overseen a period in which SLB expanded its digital capabilities, including investments in cloud-based platforms, artificial intelligence, and data analytics tools designed to improve efficiency and reduce the environmental footprint of oil and gas operations. The company's digital strategy has been a central element of Le Peuch's vision for the organization, representing a departure from the purely hardware-and-services model that had characterized much of the company's history.

In July 2025, SLB completed its acquisition of ChampionX, a chemical solutions and production optimization company, in a deal that further expanded the company's portfolio. The ChampionX acquisition represented a strategic move to strengthen SLB's presence in production chemicals and artificial lift technologies, broadening the company's offerings across the full lifecycle of oil and gas production.

Navigating Market Volatility

Le Peuch's tenure as CEO has been marked by the need to steer the company through multiple periods of market disruption and uncertainty. In mid-2025, amid concerns about global oil demand and macroeconomic headwinds, Le Peuch expressed confidence in the industry's resilience, stating that SLB remained "constructive" about the second half of 2025 despite demand uncertainty.

By the third quarter of 2025, SLB reported a decline in profits amid what the company described as a "challenging global backdrop," though North American operations helped support overall revenue. The quarter also revealed the initial financial benefits from the recently completed ChampionX acquisition. In October 2025, Le Peuch stated publicly that SLB did not expect to see a significant pickup in North American drilling activity, citing high production costs at some shale basins as a constraining factor.

In January 2026, Le Peuch offered a more optimistic assessment of the global oil market, stating that "the worst may be behind" the industry. This statement reflected a cautious optimism about stabilizing commodity prices and improving international activity levels heading into 2026.

Venezuela and Geopolitical Considerations

In early 2026, Le Peuch addressed the potential for SLB to expand its operations in Venezuela following political changes in the country. He stated that the oilfield services company was ready to "rapidly ramp up" its presence in Venezuela under the right conditions, positioning SLB to take advantage of any loosening of sanctions or improvement in the operating environment. Schlumberger had historically maintained a significant presence in Venezuela before sanctions and the country's economic collapse curtailed operations. Le Peuch's comments came amid broader industry caution about returning to the country despite political pressure from the Trump administration.

Compensation

As CEO of one of the world's largest oilfield services companies, Le Peuch's compensation has been a subject of public attention. An Associated Press analysis of CEO pay included Le Peuch among the executives whose compensation packages reflected the substantial pay gap between chief executives and median workers at major corporations.

In January 2026, regulatory filings disclosed that Le Peuch sold 25,000 shares of SLB common stock valued at approximately $1.26 million.

Personal Life

Olivier Le Peuch is a French national. He has maintained a relatively private personal life, with limited public information available about his family or personal interests outside of his professional role. As CEO of SLB, Le Peuch is based in Houston, Texas, where the company maintains its principal executive offices and operational headquarters. SLB, while founded in France and incorporated in Curaçao, has long maintained its primary business presence in Houston, the global center of the oil and gas industry.

Le Peuch has been noted for his engagement with industry organizations and forums. He has participated in discussions hosted by the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) and other professional bodies focused on the future of the energy industry and the role of technology in addressing the sector's challenges.

Recognition

Le Peuch's leadership of the world's largest oilfield services company has placed him among the most prominent figures in the global energy industry. His role as CEO of SLB, a company with operations in more than 100 countries and tens of thousands of employees worldwide, positions him as one of the most influential executives in the oil and gas services sector.

His strategic decisions, including the rebranding of Schlumberger to SLB and the company's pivot toward digital and new energy solutions, have received significant attention from industry analysts, investors, and the business media. Publications including Bloomberg, Reuters, the Houston Chronicle, and specialized energy industry outlets such as Upstream Online, Rigzone, and World Oil regularly cover his public statements and strategic commentary on the direction of the global oil market.

Le Peuch has also been recognized within the petroleum engineering profession. The Society of Petroleum Engineers has featured his perspectives on industry trends and technological innovation.

Legacy

As of early 2026, Olivier Le Peuch continues to serve as CEO of SLB, making an assessment of his full legacy premature. However, several elements of his tenure have already had a lasting impact on the company and the broader oilfield services industry. The rebranding from Schlumberger—a name that had defined the company since its founding in 1926—to SLB represented one of the most significant corporate identity changes in the history of the energy industry. The move signaled an intent to position the company for a future in which its identity would not be solely defined by traditional oilfield services.

Le Peuch's emphasis on digital transformation has accelerated SLB's investment in software platforms, data analytics, and automation technologies. This strategic direction has influenced the broader oilfield services sector, as competitors have similarly increased their focus on technology-driven differentiation.

His management of the company through periods of significant market volatility—including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on global oil demand, subsequent price recovery cycles, and ongoing geopolitical disruptions—has tested the resilience of SLB's business model and strategic direction. The completion of the ChampionX acquisition in 2025 further expanded the company's portfolio and represented a continuation of the strategic expansion that has characterized Le Peuch's tenure.

Le Peuch's willingness to position SLB for operations in complex geopolitical environments, as demonstrated by his statements regarding Venezuela in early 2026, reflects a continuation of Schlumberger's historically global and politically diverse operational footprint.