BP has appointed former Shell executive Emma Lewis as executive vice president of Downstream, effective January 2027, as the British energy major continues to strengthen its leadership team and streamline operations.
Lewis will also join BP’s leadership team, overseeing a global portfolio spanning refining, terminals, pipelines, mobility and convenience, aviation, and bioenergy.
The appointment comes as BP advances a broader corporate restructuring aimed at simplifying its business, improving operational efficiency, and generating stronger shareholder returns.
Lewis brings more than 25 years of experience across the energy and chemicals industries, having held senior operational and commercial leadership positions at Shell and ExxonMobil in Europe, Asia, and North America.
Most recently, she served as executive vice president of Chemicals at Shell, where she oversaw the company’s global chemicals operations, including manufacturing facilities, commercial activities, polymers businesses, and joint ventures.
Before joining Shell in 2012, Lewis spent approximately 13 years at ExxonMobil, holding positions covering manufacturing, supply chains, commercial operations, and product management.
Her experience includes managing manufacturing operations at Mont Belvieu in Texas, chemicals logistics across the Americas, and sales activities in the polyolefins business.
BP chief executive Meg O’Neill welcomed the appointment, highlighting Lewis’s experience managing large international businesses and delivering operational improvements.
O’Neill emphasized the importance of the downstream business to BP’s broader strategy, particularly its role in connecting fuel production, transportation, and sales across international markets.
The appointment follows BP’s decision earlier this year to reorganize its operations around two principal business segments, Upstream and Downstream, replacing its previous three-segment structure.
The restructuring, which took effect operationally in July 2026, is designed to reduce organizational complexity, clarify management responsibilities, and accelerate decision-making. The revised structure is scheduled to take effect for external financial reporting from January 2027.
Under the new model, Downstream combines BP’s refining and fuels marketing activities with other customer-facing businesses, creating a more integrated operating structure.
The reorganization forms part of BP’s wider efforts to sharpen its focus on its core oil and gas operations, strengthen its balance sheet, and improve financial performance.
Richard Harding, who has served as interim executive vice president of Downstream for the past seven months, will continue in the role until Lewis formally assumes responsibility in January.
Lewis said her priorities would include strengthening operational performance, maintaining safe and reliable operations, and delivering sustainable value for shareholders.
Her appointment establishes permanent leadership for one of BP’s two principal operating segments at a time when the company is working to improve execution across its global energy portfolio.
By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com
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Source: finance.yahoo.com — article syndicated from the publisher’s feed; all rights remain with the original publisher.
