Halliburton revives COO post, appoints Jeff Miller

(Reuters) - Halliburton Co (HAL.N), the world's second-largest oilfield services company, on Thursday promoted Jeff Miller to the new position of chief operating officer, a move likely to revive speculation about its succession plans.

Miller had been senior vice president for global business development and marketing. He also previously held a position in charge of Halliburton's Gulf of Mexico operations, as well as country vice president posts in Indonesia and Angola.

"As we continue to target our energy toward the successful execution of our business strategy, it's time to shift day-to-day operations to Jeff so I can further focus on the long-term growth and advancement of the company," Chief Executive David Lesar said in a statement.

Halliburton has not had a COO since the job was eliminated in late 2007. Lesar held the COO title for three years before taking over from Dick Cheney as Halliburton CEO in 2000.

Analysts have not had a clear view of the company's succession strategy since the 2009 retirement of Cris Gaut, then Halliburton's president of drilling and evaluation, who had once been viewed as a CEO in waiting.

(Reporting by Braden Reddall in San Francisco; Editing by Gary Hill and Dan Grebler)