LOS ANGELES, Feb. 26, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- Occidental Petroleum Corporation's (NYSE: OXY) Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Ray R. Irani, announced today that effective March 1, 2004, James M. Lienert has been appointed President of the company's whollyowned chemical subsidiary, Occidental Chemical Corporation (OxyChem). Mr. Lienert also has been elected a Vice President of Occidental Petroleum Corporation. He replaces John (Jack) L. Hurst who will be retiring at year-end.
After joining OxyChem in 1974 at Niagara Falls, New York, Mr. Lienert has held a number of positions of increasing responsibility in the finance area with OxyChem and the parent company, becoming Vice President, Finance in 1998. In September 2000, he was selected to lead OxyChem's chlor-alkali businesses. In August 2002, he was named to head OxyChem's vinyls business and also assumed responsibility for overseeing OxyChem's technology staff and supply chain organization.
Mr. Lienert, who holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and a Masters in Business Administration from the State University of New York at Buffalo, is a CPA in the state of Texas.