The board of directors of Murphy Oil Corp. appointed Steve Cossé as president and chief executive officer, effectively immediately. David Wood, the company’s current president, chief executive officer and member of the board of directors, will retire after a 17-year career at the company and resign from his director position. Murphy’s board of directors also named Roger Jenkins, the company’s executive vice president of exploration and production, to the newly-created position of chief operating officer.

Cossé, a current member of Murphy’s board of directors, previously served as executive vice president and general counsel of the company. During his tenure at Murphy, he also held positions as senior vice president, vice president and principal financial officer. Prior to joining Murphy in 1991, he served as general counsel for Ocean Drilling & Exploration Co. in New Orleans, LA.

Jenkins joined Murphy in 2001, and was named executive vice president of exploration and production in 2009. He has played a critical leadership role in the company’s worldwide exploration and production operations, including the development of the Kikeh Field in Malaysia and the Eagle Ford shale in South Texas. Prior to joining Murphy, he spent 17 years with a major oil company. He holds a bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering from Louisiana State University, an master of business administration from Tulane University and completed the advanced management program from Harvard Business School.