** Buying and holding Total shares since the dayChristophe de Margerie took over as CEO would have pocketed a23.3 pct return, assuming dividends were re-invested. Chart: http://link.reuters.com/zyb33w
** de Margerie's reign covered the spike in crude oil to nearly $150/brl, the 2008 financial crisis and consequentcrash in crude oil to close to $30/brl, and a stuttering anduneven post-crisis recovery.
** Performance puts Total mid-table on stock returns vspeers over that period but underscores importance of the heftydividend payout. Excluding the dividend Total shares areactually down a fifth.
** The CEO of the French oil major was killed when hisprivate jet collided with a snow plough as it was taking offfrom Moscow's Vnukovo airport on Monday night. (RM: vincent.flasseur.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net)