YPF named Ricardo Darré as its new CEO. Darré replaces CFO and interim CEO Daniel González, who had been at the helm of the 51% state-owned company since the resignation of Miguel Galuccio in April. Darré comes to YPF from French energy major Total, where he served as executive E&P director in the US. The 50-year-old engineer's technical expertise and operations-focused background helped him edge out González and Germán Curá the North America head of steel tube maker Tenaris in an international search conducted by consultancy Egon Zehnder for Galuccio's replacement. Galuccio, a 2012 appointee of former president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, served as CEO and chairman of YPF, and oversaw the ramp-up of activity at Argentina's Vaca Muerta shale deposit in the Neuquén basin. But after the election of center-right President Mauricio Macri, YPF's board voted to separate the two positions, asked Galuccio to step down and named former longtime JP Morgan executive Miguel Ángel Gutiérrez as chairman.