Occidental's Chiang quits after new CEO picked

HOUSTON, June 12 (Reuters) - Occidental Petroleum Corp told regulators on Friday that a top executive, Willie Chiang, has suddenly quit - a month after Vicki Hollub was picked to eventually replace Chief Executive Steve Chazen.

Hollub, a longtime Occidental employee, will become the first woman to head a major U.S. oil company. That is expected to occur next year.

Chiang was the company's executive vice president, operations, and had reported directly to Chazen.

An Occidental spokesperson was not immediately available for comment.

(Reporting By Terry Wade and Anna Driver; Editing by Bernard Orr)