John Watson was the chairman and chief executive officer of Chevron Corporation from 2010 until his retirement in 2018. He served on the Executive Committee of the U.S. Business Council, American Society of Corporate Executives and the American Petroleum Institute. He was also a member of the U.S. Business Roundtable and the National Petroleum Council.

Watson currently serves on the Board of Directors of Cargill, Inc. and chairs the University of California, Davis Chancellor’s Board of Advisors.

Watson joined Chevron in 1980 as a financial analyst and went on to hold analytical and supervisory positions before being appointed president of Chevron Canada Limited in 1996. In 1998, he was named a corporate vice president with responsibility for strategic planning and mergers and acquisitions.

In 2000, he led the company’s integration effort following the Chevron-Texaco merger and then became the corporation’s chief financial officer. In 2005, he became president of Chevron International Exploration and Production. In April 2009, he was named vice chairman of the company, before being elected chairman and CEO.

Watson earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics from the University of California, Davis in 1978 and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Chicago in 1980.