THE outspoken chief executive of French oil company Total has been killed after his private jet hit a snow plough as it was taking off from Moscow's Vnukovo Airport.
Christophe de Margerie's death leaves a void at the top of one of the world's biggest listed oil firms at a difficult time for the industry as oil prices fall and state-backed competitors keep them out of some of the best oil exploration territory.
Russia's Investigative Committee said it had opened a criminal investigation into the crash.
It said the driver had been found to be drunk, but that investigators were also examining the actions of the air traffic controllers and the flight crew. The driver's lawyer he had been following instructions from air traffic control, and that his relatives had said he never drank alcohol.
Mr De Margerie, 63, was a strong opponent of Western economic sanctions against Russia over its actions in Ukraine and had been attending a meeting on foreign investment with around 30 other foreign executives at Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev's country residence near Moscow.
The crash occurred at around midnight on Monday Moscow time as his Dassault Falcon was taking off for Paris in poor visibility. The plane's three crew were also killed, but television footage showed the snowplough driver seemingly unhurt.
Total is France's second-biggest listed company, with a market value of €102 billion that makes it the fourth largest Western oil company, behind Exxon, Royal Dutch Shell and Chevron.
In a brief news conference yesterday, Total's secretary-general, Jean-Jacques Guilbaud, said its governance committee and board would meet "as soon as possible".
He said: "Total will keep going. The group is organised to ensure the continuity of its governance."
With his distinctive bushy moustache and outspoken manner, de Margerie was one of the most recognisable of oil executives and a personal friend of French President Francois Hollande.
Prime Minister Manuel Valls said France had lost "an extraordinary business leader who turned Total into a world giant".
Ben van Beurden, chief executive of Total's rival Royal Dutch Shell, said Mr de Margerie had been "a larger than life character, a leader respected across the energy industry and a friend".
De Margerie ran Total's exploration and production division before becoming CEO in 2007, but only took full control with the additional role of chairman in May 2010.
Known inside the company as "The Big Moustache", he said in July that he should be judged on the new projects launched on his watch, including a string of African fields.
He also said then that Total, which has not announced any official succession plan, would name a successor from within.
Philippe Boisseau, head of Total's renewable energy division, and Patrick Pouyanne, who was charged with reducing exposure to unprofitable European refining sectors, have long been seen as potential successors.
By mid-afternoon yesterday, Total's share was up 2.6 per cent at 44.05 euros, broadly in line with other European majors such as Shell and BP.
Barclays France director Franklin Pichard said de Margerie's death "shouldn't trigger insurmountable management difficulties".
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