Odd A Mosbergvik takes over as operations vice president for Åsgard in succession to Kyrre Nese on 1 January.
Mr Mosbergvik has headed the development unit for Statoil's Åsgard project in the Norwegian Sea since 1996.
After four years at the Åsgard helm, Mr Nese is moving to the Exploration & Production Technology business area to head a new unit which will work to provide an improved foundation for important decisions.
This will be achieved by increasing both managerial and technical resources devoted to preparatory work ahead of such decision-making.
The aim is to ensure that the group's resources are used in the most effective way possible to achieve maximum value creation balanced against an acceptable risk profile.