Horacio Marín, the chairman and chief executive of Argentina’s oil company YPF, says he played junior tennis at Wimbledon before he chose to study chemical engineering. He now runs the company at the centre of Argentina’s push to export oil and gas from Vaca Muerta, a shale formation in Patagonia.
Key Facts
- Who Horacio Marín is chairman and CEO of YPF, Argentina’s main oil company, whose shares trade in New York.
- Studies Chemical engineer from the National University of La Plata; petroleum engineering master’s at the University of Texas at Austin in 1994.
- Career Before YPF he worked in Techint, an Argentine industrial group, last in exploration and production at its oil arm Tecpetrol.
- Tennis By his own account he played junior tennis at Wimbledon in 1981, then left the sport for engineering.
- Power Index Argentina ranks 4th of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 60.2 points (November 2026 edition).
From Tennis Courts to Chemistry Labs
Marín has said in interviews that he played junior tennis at Wimbledon in 1981, in the sport he trained for from the age of 11. He stopped competing and studied chemical engineering at the National University of La Plata.
He later called YPF his own Wimbledon, the place he always dreamed of working.
From Techint to YPF
Marín earned a master’s degree in petroleum engineering at the University of Texas at Austin in 1994, YPF says. In 2009 he completed the executive programme at Stanford Graduate School of Business in California.
Before joining YPF, Marín worked in the Techint group, an Argentine industrial group, and his last post there was a senior role running exploration and production at Tecpetrol, its oil and gas arm. The University of Texas at Austin says he was responsible for developing the Fortín de Piedra area in Vaca Muerta.
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Running Argentina’s Biggest Oil Company
Marín was named to lead YPF in November 2023 by Javier Milei, then Argentina’s president-elect. YPF changed its statutes so that one person could hold both the chairman and chief executive roles, and the company lists Marín in both.
YPF says Marín leads its 4×4 Plan, a strategy to turn the company into a world-class shale producer. The company lists Vaca Muerta development, the Vaca Muerta Oil Sur (VMOS) pipeline project, its Southern Energy project and Argentina LNG as strategic projects, where LNG means natural gas cooled to a liquid for export by ship.
In 2024 the University of Texas at Austin gave him its Distinguished Alumni Award. In 2025 EY, the professional services firm, named him Argentina’s Entrepreneur of the Year in the executive category, YPF says.
What It Means for You
YPF shares trade in New York as American depositary receipts, certificates that let US investors hold shares in a foreign company. The company’s own plan centres on Vaca Muerta and LNG exports, so Marín’s decisions matter to those holders.
Our recent reports on YPF’s LNG talks and its shale investment plan follow those projects. More coverage is on our Argentina page.
What Is Not Known
A personal profile rests partly on Marín’s own accounts, and we have not confirmed his junior tennis record in tournament archives. Details such as which junior tournaments he played vary between his interviews.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Horacio Marín?
He is the chairman and chief executive of YPF, Argentina’s main oil company. He is a chemical engineer who worked in the Techint group, last at Tecpetrol, before joining YPF.
Did Horacio Marín play at Wimbledon?
By his own account, he played junior tennis there in 1981. We have not confirmed the draw in tournament archives.
What is Vaca Muerta?
It is a shale oil and gas formation in Argentina’s Neuquén province, in Patagonia. It is central to YPF’s growth plan.
Sources: YPF, biography of Horacio Marín (english.ypf.com); University of Texas at Austin, Hildebrand Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering; interviews given by Horacio Marín in 2026; market data, 8 November 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated AI newsroom. Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief. How we use AI · Report an error