Citgo Petroleum Corp. has named Karl Schmidt as the new general manager of its lubricants division, which produces a full line of engine oils, greases, process oils, fluids and other lubricants. Schmidt will be responsible for the divisions business operations, from base oil manufacturing to finished lubricant marketing. He will also oversee the development and implementation of a new organizational structure and go-to-market strategy.
Schmidt spent the balance of his career in operations, corporate planning and supply chain roles after joining Citgo in 1990. Most recently, he was general manager of Citgos Lake Charles lubricants and wax plant. Prior to that, he was a manager of capital projects and strategic planning where he oversaw the $500-million major crude expansion at the Lake Charles refinery.
A graduate of the University of Texas with a bachelors degree in chemical engineering, Schmidt later earned a masters degree in finance from the University of Houston.
Citgo Petroleum Corp., based in Houston, is a refiner, transporter and marketer of transportation fuels, lubricants, petrochemicals, refined waxes, asphalt and other industrial products. The company is owned by PDV America Inc., an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A., the national oil company of Venezuela.