Total CEO Christophe De Margerie Dies In Private Plane Crash

(RTTNews) - French Energy giant Total SA (TTA.L, TTFNF.PK, TOT) Tuesday said its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Christophe de Margerie died in a private plane crash in the late evening of October 20 at Vnukovo Airport in Moscow. The plane had collided with a snow-removing machine.

Four people were found dead at the scene of the accident, including three crew members and Christophe de Margerie.

Russia's TASS news agency had confirmed the accident shortly after it occurred. The report said the collision with the snow-clearing machine happened during the takeoff of de Margerie's Dassault Falcon business jet. The plane was scheduled to travel to Paris.

The Total chief was in Russia as he was part of a meeting conducted by the Russian government on foreign investment in Gorki, near Moscow.

de Margerie joined the Group in 1974. He served in several positions in the Group's Finance Department and Exploration & Production division. He became President of Total Middle East in 1995 before joining the Group's Executive Committee as the President of the Exploration & Production division in May 1999.

de Margerie then became Senior Executive Vice President of Exploration & Production of the new TotalFinaElf group in 2000. In January 2002, he became President of the Exploration & Production division of Total.

He was appointed a director by the Shareholders' Meeting held on May 12, 2006 and became Chief Executive Officer on February 14, 2007. He was appointed Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Total on May 21, 2010.

The stock closed down 2.8 percent on Monday at 42.94 euros.