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BP plc

Integrated Oil & GasFounded 1909
Reviewed by Swet Parvadiya
Company data updated: October 2026

Leadership History

BP: CEO History

7 leaders · 1995 to present

Who is the CEO of BP?

Meg O'Neill is the CEO of BP, in the role since 2026. The first chief executive was Sir John Browne, from 1995.

Current CEO
Meg O'Neill (since 2026)
First CEO
Sir John Browne (1995)
Leaders documented
7
Founded
1909
NameRoleFromToYears in role
Meg O'NeillChief Executive Officer2026Present< 1
Carol HowleInterim Chief Executive Officer (former)202520261
Murray AuchinclossChief Executive Officer (former)202420251
Bernard LooneyChief Executive Officer (former)202020233
Bob DudleyChief Executive Officer (former)2010202010
Tony HaywardChief Executive Officer (former)200720103
Sir John BrowneChief Executive Officer (former)1995200712
Who was CEO of BP before Meg O'Neill?
Carol Howle was CEO of BP from 2025 to 2026, before Meg O'Neill took over in 2026.

Company Overview

BP plc began as the Anglo-Persian Oil Company in 1909, became the British Petroleum Company in 1954, merged with Amoco in 1998 and has been called BP p.l.c. since 2001. It explores for and produces oil and gas, refines crude, sells fuels and lubricants, and trades energy in 61 countries. The 2010 Deepwater Horizon blowout, which killed 11 workers, cost BP more than $65 billion and forced years of asset sales. In 2020 BP pledged to shrink oil and gas output and build a large renewables business; by 2025 weak returns and investor pressure led it to reverse much of that plan. In 2026 it operates as a leaner oil and gas company under CEO Meg O'Neill and chair Ian Tyler. The company is headquartered in London, United Kingdom.

Meg O'Neill

Chief Executive Officer

2026 – Present

0 years (current)

Legacy

Meg O'Neill, an American engineer who spent more than two decades at ExxonMobil and ran Australia's Woodside Energy from 2021, became BP's chief executive on April 1, 2026, the first woman to lead the company. In her first note to staff she promised consistency in strategy. Within ten weeks she announced a two-segment structure, Upstream and Downstream, effective July 1, 2026, with Gordon Birrell leading Upstream. In August 2026 BP completed the Gelsenkirchen refinery sale and, helped by higher prices and strong trading, reported $5.7 billion of Q2 underlying profit and raised its dividend 4%.

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Carol Howle

Interim Chief Executive Officer (former)

2025 – 2026

1 year

Legacy

Carol Howle, BP's executive vice president for supply, trading and shipping, served as interim CEO from December 2025, when Murray Auchincloss stepped down, until Meg O'Neill joined on April 1, 2026. She presented BP's full-year 2025 results in February 2026, when the board suspended share buybacks to direct surplus cash to debt reduction.

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Murray Auchincloss

Chief Executive Officer (former)

2024 – 2025

1 year

Legacy

Murray Auchincloss, a Canadian who joined Amoco in 1992 and became BP's CFO in 2020, was interim CEO after Bernard Looney's September 2023 exit and permanent CEO from January 2024. He led the February 2025 reset that cut transition spending, raised upstream investment to about $10 billion a year and launched a $20 billion divestment programme, and he agreed the JERA Nex bp offshore wind joint venture. With the shares still weak and activist Elliott Management pressing for faster change, BP announced on December 17, 2025 that he would step down; he agreed to stay on in an advisory role until December 2026.

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Bernard Looney

Chief Executive Officer (former)

2020 – 2023

3 years

Legacy

Bernard Looney's three-and-a-half-year tenure as CEO was defined by the most ambitious energy transition strategy ever articulated by a major oil company and ended in its most dramatic leadership dismissal. As CEO, Looney announced BP's 2020 net-zero strategy including commitments to cut oil and gas production by 40% by 2030 and invest up to $5 billion per year in clean energy that repositioned BP as the most progressive of the oil majors on climate. He also managed BP through the COVID-19 demand collapse, including the 2020 dividend cut and associated $17 billion asset write-downs. His dismissal in September 2023 for being 'seriously misleading' to the board about personal relationships with colleagues forfeited his severance and unveiled a governance failure that overshadowed his strategic legacy.

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Bob Dudley

Chief Executive Officer (former)

2010 – 2020

10 years

Legacy

Bob Dudley, an American who began his career at Amoco and previously ran the TNK-BP joint venture in Russia, was BP's first American CEO, serving from October 2010 to February 2020. He steered BP through the Deepwater Horizon settlements, including the $18.7 billion federal and state agreement announced in 2015, sold large parts of the portfolio to pay claims, and in 2013 exchanged BP's TNK-BP stake for cash and 19.75% of Rosneft. He handed over to Bernard Looney in February 2020.

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Tony Hayward

Chief Executive Officer (former)

2007 – 2010

3 years

Legacy

Tony Hayward, a geologist who joined BP in 1982 and ran its exploration and production business, succeeded John Browne in May 2007 and promised to fix BP's safety culture after Texas City. His tenure was defined by the April 2010 Deepwater Horizon blowout; his remark "I'd like my life back" became a symbol of BP's poorly judged crisis response. In July 2010 BP announced that he would hand over to Bob Dudley on October 1, 2010.

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Sir John Browne

Chief Executive Officer (former)

1995 – 2007

12 years

Legacy

John Browne (later Lord Browne of Madingley) turned BP into a global supermajor through the acquisitions of Amoco (1998), ARCO (2000) and Burmah Castrol (2000). In a 1997 speech at Stanford University he became the first head of a major oil company to accept the case for action on climate change, and he launched the "Beyond Petroleum" rebrand and Helios logo in 2000. His tenure also included the 2005 Texas City refinery explosion, which killed 15 workers, and the 2006 Prudhoe Bay pipeline leak. He resigned in May 2007 after a court case about his private life.

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Challenges & Strategic Context

BP's problems are financial, operational and reputational. Net debt was $22.2 billion at the end of 2025 and $22.3 billion at June 30, 2026, against a target of $14-18 billion by 2027, which is why the board suspended buybacks in February 2026 and is counting on $8-9 billion of divestment proceeds in 2026. Upstream output slipped to 2.2 million barrels of oil equivalent per day in Q2 2026 as assets were sold, and management said safety performance in the quarter fell short of expectations. Governance has been unstable: CEOs left in 2023 and 2025, and chair Albert Manifold was removed in May 2026 after eight months. Legacy liabilities remain too, from Deepwater Horizon to a 2026 legal claim over gas flaring near Iraq's Rumaila field.

BP CEO and Leadership FAQ

Who is the current CEO of BP?

Meg O'Neill became BP's chief executive on April 1, 2026, the first woman to lead the company. She previously ran Woodside Energy in Australia and spent more than two decades at ExxonMobil.

Who was Murray Auchincloss and why did he leave?

Murray Auchincloss, BP's CFO from 2020, was interim CEO from September 2023 and permanent CEO from January 2024. He led the February 2025 reset toward oil and gas. BP announced on December 17, 2025 that he would step down, with Carol Howle as interim CEO until Meg O'Neill arrived.

Who was Bernard Looney and what was his tenure as BP CEO?

Bernard Looney served as CEO of BP from February 2020 until September 2023. An Irish engineer who spent 32 years at BP, Looney launched the 'Net Zero by 2050' ambition, navigated the COVID-19 oil collapse, and oversaw the Rosneft divestment before resigning due to personal disclosure matters.

Who was Bob Dudley and how did he lead BP after Deepwater Horizon?

Bob Dudley was CEO of BP from October 2010 to February 2020. An American who previously ran TNK-BP in Russia, he took over during the Deepwater Horizon crisis, oversaw the settlements and asset sales used to pay more than $65 billion of costs, and in 2013 swapped BP's TNK-BP stake for cash and 19.75% of Rosneft.

Who was Lord John Browne and what was his historic legacy as BP CEO?

Lord John Browne served as CEO of BP from 1995 to 2007. Browne transformed BP from a mid-sized British oil firm into a global mega-major through the historic acquisitions of Amoco (1998), ARCO (2000), and Burmah Castrol (2000), and pioneered the 'Beyond Petroleum' branding.

Who is the chair of BP?

Ian Tyler was appointed chair on September 2, 2026, after serving as interim chair from May 26, 2026, when the board removed Albert Manifold over governance and conduct concerns. Manifold had succeeded Helge Lund, chair from 2019, in October 2025.

Who is Kate Thomson?

Kate Thomson is BP's chief financial officer. She joined BP in 2004, held roles including group treasurer and head of tax, became interim CFO in September 2023 and was appointed CFO and a board director in February 2024. She is the first woman to be BP's CFO.

How has BP's leadership changed since 2023?

Bernard Looney left in September 2023, Murray Auchincloss led from 2023 to December 2025, Carol Howle was interim CEO until April 1, 2026, and Meg O'Neill has led since. At board level, Helge Lund handed over to Albert Manifold in 2025, and Ian Tyler replaced Manifold in 2026.

Why did the CEO of BP resign?

Bernard Looney abruptly resigned as CEO in 2023 after failing to fully disclose past personal relationships with colleagues, handing leadership to Murray Auchincloss.

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Content is for informational purposes only. Not financial advice. Data sourced from SEC filings, annual reports, and public records. See our full disclaimer and methodology.