PERTH, March 19, 2026, 07:33 (AWST)
Woodside Energy shares closed up just 0.06% in Australia on Wednesday after newly appointed CEO Liz Westcott said the company’s $17.5 billion Louisiana LNG project was a key priority, while its U.S.-listed shares were later quoted at $22.85, up about 1%. The small move on the home market suggested investors want proof of execution more than a fresh management story. 1
That matters now because Westcott inherits a softer 2026 production outlook and a crowded project slate. Woodside is trying to sell a 20% stake in Louisiana LNG — liquefied natural gas, or gas chilled into liquid for shipping — while pushing Scarborough toward first cargo this year, Trion toward a 2028 start and Browse toward a final investment decision. 2
Woodside said the board chose Westcott after a recruitment process that included internal and external candidates. Chair Richard Goyder said her leadership and “disciplined delivery” set her apart, while Westcott said her focus would be on “sustainable value creation,” operational excellence and disciplined growth-project execution. 3
The stock had jumped as much as 1.2% earlier in the Australian session before giving most of that back. Peers Santos and Beach Energy rose 0.3% and 2.5%, respectively, as firmer crude prices supported the wider energy sector. 2
Westcott’s appointment also landed just after Woodside struck a deal with Western Australia to export about 3 million extra tonnes of LNG from Pluto in return for 23 petajoules of extra domestic gas by 2029. Pluto LNG 2 is due to start in the last quarter of this year, adding 5 million tonnes of annual capacity. 4
Analysts broadly read the choice as continuity. RBC Capital Markets analyst Gordon Ramsay called Westcott a “low-risk appointment”, and ETF Shares CIO David Tuckwell said she looked like a “safe pair of hands” as Woodside heads into what Westcott has called a “big year of delivery.” 2
The operating base is not weak. Woodside said its February results showed record 2025 production of 198.8 million barrels of oil equivalent, $2.7 billion in net profit, and Scarborough and Trion 94% and 50% complete at year-end, respectively. 5
Crude has added another layer to the trade. Brent settled up 3.8% at $107.38 and rose 5.6% in post-settlement dealing after Iran attacked several Middle East energy facilities, a backdrop that can lift near-term revenue expectations for producers such as Woodside even as it hardens the inflation outlook. 6
That is the catch. Kevin Morrison at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis said Louisiana LNG is the project investors are most likely to judge Westcott on, and warned that higher energy prices linked to the Iran conflict could feed inflation into the project; Browse still needs commercial agreements and environmental approvals before it can move. 2
For now, the market is withholding a bigger verdict. Investors will be watching the Louisiana stake sale, Scarborough start-up and any shift in 2026 guidance more closely than the headline around Woodside’s CEO change. 2
