Primavera Ramps Up Venezuela Oil Operations with Veteran Leadership

Oscar Quintero, previously a division president at Occidental Petroleum, will lead the Venezuelan operations. A native Venezuelan returning from the U.S. diaspora, Quintero brings extensive field experience from his tenure at Shell and Hess. His appointment is part of a broader strategy to repatriate talent to aid in the country's industrial recovery, a sentiment echoed by co-founder Manuel Iribarren.

Primavera has also secured three former Chevron Venezuela executives—Mario Gandara, Jorge Castro, and Ivette Lopez—to manage commercial, financial, and legal operations. Their established relationships with local stakeholders and PdVSA are expected to facilitate a seamless transition. The leadership expansion is rounded out by the addition of Troy Finney, John Grimmer, and Michael Jensen, who will oversee engineering, operations, and security. The company intends to scale crude production rapidly, with further project milestones anticipated in the coming months.