Meg O'Neill Named BP CEO, Signaling Shift in Leadership and Strategy
Meg O’Neill, 55, from Boulder, Colorado, has been named the CEO of BP, becoming the first female head of a major oil company and the first outsider appointed to this role at BP.
Previously, O’Neill served as CEO of Woodside Energy for four years, where she led the company through a merger with BHP Petroleum that doubled fossil fuel production and valued Woodside at about $40 billion.
She spent 23 years at ExxonMobil, rising to the position of executive adviser to Rex Tillerson and later advising Darren Wood on Africa projects.
Last year at Woodside, O’Neill earned $7.45 million, an increase from $4.9 million the year before. By comparison, her BP predecessor, Murray Auchincloss, earned £5.4 million ($7.2 million) after a pay cut.
Her appointment marks a significant move amid BP’s challenges with its green strategy, leadership turnover, and takeover rumors, highlighting a push for profound change within the company.
O’Neill is openly gay and is married to Vicky Hayes; she emphasizes the importance of LGBTQ+ visibility in the industry, despite facing protests from climate activists at her Perth home.
Her leadership at Woodside aligned with BP’s emphasis on fossil fuel production, notably including Woodside’s large-scale LNG projects such as Louisiana LNG, valued at $17.5 billion, and a 50-year extension for the North West Shelf LNG license. These projects have drawn criticism, including from academic Professor Peter Newman, who condemned the Louisiana project.
In industry discussions, O’Neill has highlighted the role of energy demand and consumer behavior in impacting emissions, indicating engagement with the broader energy transition debate.
