Woodside's Meg O’Neill to Serve as Next CEO of BP

The bp Board has appointed Meg O’Neill as bp’s next CEO effective April 1, 2026.

Murray Auchincloss is stepping down from his position as CEO and director of the Board, effective December 18. Carol Howle, current executive vice president, supply, trading & shipping of bp, will serve as interim CEO.

O'Neill is the first CEO to be appointed by BP from outside of the company and the first female to lead any of the top five oil companies in the world. The company began a major shift in strategy earlier this year. It cut billions of dollars from planned renewable energy projects and shifted its focus to traditional oil and gas.

O’Neill currently serves as CEO of Woodside Energy. Since her appointment as CEO in 2021, she has grown Woodside Energy into the largest energy company listed on the Australian Securities Exchange. Among her many accomplishments at Woodside Energy, she oversaw the transformative acquisition of BHP Petroleum International, creating a geographically diverse business with a portfolio of high-quality oil and gas assets. Before joining Woodside Energy in 2018, she spent 23 years at ExxonMobil in technical, operational and leadership positions around the world.

Albert Manifold, Chair of bp, said: “We are delighted to welcome Meg O’Neill to the bp team. Her proven track record of driving transformation, growth, and disciplined capital allocation makes her the right leader for bp. Her relentless focus on business improvement and financial discipline gives us high confidence in her ability to shape this great company for its next phase of growth and pursue significant strategic and financial opportunities.”

O’Neill said: “bp plays a critical role in delivering energy to customers around the world. I am honoured to serve as the company’s next CEO. With an extraordinary portfolio of assets, bp has significant potential to reestablish market leadership and grow shareholder value. I look forward to working with the bp leadership team and colleagues worldwide to accelerate performance, advance safety, drive innovation and sustainability and do our part to meet the world’s energy needs.”

(Reuters and staff)