Overview
- Murray Auchincloss stepped down with immediate effect and will serve as an adviser through 2026, the company said.
- Carol Howle, BP’s executive vice president for supply, trading and shipping, becomes interim chief executive until O’Neill takes over in April 2026.
- Meg O’Neill, Woodside Energy’s chief since 2021 and a former ExxonMobil executive, is the first woman selected to lead a global oil supermajor.
- BP said the appointment followed a board-led search with an independent firm and is meant to accelerate a push for a simpler, leaner, more profitable company after investor pressure and merger speculation this year.
- Woodside named Liz Westcott as acting chief executive following O’Neill’s immediate resignation, highlighting a tenure that included the BHP Petroleum acquisition and major LNG and oil developments.