FT Due Diligence

How a big deal backfired at Occidental Petroleum

Last year Vicki Hollub, the CEO of Houston-based Occidental Petroleum, pulled off one of the biggest coups in the history of big oil. But as the FT’s James Fontanella-Khan explains, just months later, thanks to a vast debt pile, a collapse in oil prices and the coronavirus, she was scrambling to save her job and her company.

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FT Due Diligence

FT Channels, a partnership destination that combines impactful and enriching multimedia content to spark curiosity and encourage discovery. Each vertical brings expert insights from the Financial Times and our Partners into the most pressing issues of our time.


FT Due Diligence is a video channel analysing the fast-moving world of M&A, illuminating the trends behind the complex global transactions and how to unlock value from acquisition deals. The channel alternates between independent reporting from FT journalists and insight on global dealmaking from law firm Baker McKenzie.