Sophie Zurquiyah-Rousset

About Sophie Zurquiyah-Rousset

Sophie Zurquiyah-Rousset is a French-American executive widely recognized in the oilfield services, geoscience, and data-technology sectors. Her most notable current role is Chair and Chief Executive Officer of Viridien, a position she has held in a temporarily unified governance structure since April 30, 2025, after serving as Chief Executive Officer since 2018. She also chairs Viridien’s Board of Directors, which sets the group’s strategic direction and oversees execution. She graduated from École Centrale Paris and holds a Master’s degree in Numerical Analysis from Pierre and Marie Curie University (Paris VI) as well as a Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Colorado. Zurquiyah began her career in 1991 at Schlumberger as a geophysical engineer, working across engineering, R&D, operations, and support functions in France, the United States, and Brazil. She later held senior leadership roles including Chief Information Officer, President of SLB Data and Consulting Services, and Vice President of Sustaining Engineering, giving her broad exposure to global product, service, and technology portfolios. She joined Viridien in 2013 as Senior Executive Vice President of the Geology, Geophysics, Reservoir (GGR) segment, and later became Chief Operating Officer, responsible for GGR operations, global operational excellence, and technology. When she was appointed CEO in April 2018, the company was in the midst of a major transformation. Since then, she has overseen a strategic repositioning of the group toward a more asset-light, technology-driven business model focused on Earth data, digital solutions, and high-performance computing. The company’s rebranding from CGG to Viridien was a key milestone in that evolution. Her leadership has emphasized operational efficiency, financial discipline, and portfolio renewal. In 2025, Viridien completed the termination of its vessel capacity agreement, which strengthened the company’s asset-light strategy, and successfully refinanced its bonds, a sign of market confidence in the group’s execution. Under her stewardship, Viridien has also expanded its positioning in energy transition-related markets such as carbon capture and storage, monitoring, minerals, and infrastructure solutions, alongside its core geoscience and sensing activities. Overall, Sophie Zurquiyah is regarded as a highly seasoned international executive with deep technical credibility and a strong track record in transformation leadership.