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In 1901, British-Australian mining tycoon William Knox D'Arcy paid £20,000 for exclusive oil drilling rights across most of Iran.
His team struck oil in 1908.
He founded the Anglo-Persian Oil Company a year later.
This discovery helped spark Britain's long-term political involvement in Middle Eastern oil resources, though D'Arcy's dealings with Iran drew criticism for their unequal terms.
As chairman of Anglo-Persian Oil Company from 1927-1932, John Cadman focused on oil exploration in Persia through his expertise in mining and geophysical techniques.
He secured vital oil supplies for Britain before WWI, earning a knighthood in 1918 and later a peerage.
His leadership bridged technical operations with Middle Eastern politics during a crucial period of British petroleum development.
From 1932-1938, Maurice Bridgeman led the Anglo-Persian Oil Company through key expansions.
He signed the 1933 Red Line Agreement governing oil rights in Iran.
APOC invested in Iraqi oil fields and built refineries across Europe.
William Fraser led British Petroleum from 1941 to 1954, first as director, then as chairman.
He led BP through WWII while expanding its oil operations beyond Iran into Iraq.
He built new refineries across Europe and strengthened BP's market position despite Middle East political tensions.
As BP chairman from 1969 to 1975, Sir Eric Drake discovered the Forties oil field in the North Sea.
After declaring the North Sea held no oil, Drake found the massive Forties field six months later—a field that produced 400,000 barrels daily.
Under Peter Walters' chairmanship (1981-1990), BP transformed from a middling oil producer into the third-largest energy company in Europe.
He engineered two decisive acquisitions:
Walters managed BP through the oil price collapse of 1986, when crude dropped from $30 to $10 per barrel.
Rather than cutting research spending, he doubled BP's R&D budget to $400 million annually, focusing on deep-water drilling technology and more efficient refining processes.
His management style centered on quarterly performance reviews with division heads.
He set profit targets but gave executives freedom in achieving them.
Those who missed targets for two consecutive quarters were replaced.
This approach helped BP's profit margins rise from 8% in 1981 to 15% by 1989.
As BP's Chairman and CEO from 1990-1992, Robert Horton launched "Project 1990" to reshape the company through targeted culture change.
He led workshops promoting four key behaviors:
David Simon led BP's financial recovery as CEO (1992-1995) and chairman (1995-1997) by cutting debt and selling off units.
Earlier, as managing director during the 1988 Piper Alpha oil rig explosion that killed 167 workers, he oversaw BP's safety reforms and crisis communications.
As BP's CEO from 1995-2007, John Browne transformed the company through major acquisitions of Amoco and ARCO, and established BP's presence in Russia via TNK-BP.
He pioneered climate initiatives in the oil industry by launching BP's renewable energy division.
He resigned in 2007 amid a personal scandal involving allegations of perjury.
Tony Hayward led BP from 2007 to October 2010.
His tenure ended abruptly after the Deepwater Horizon disaster, where an oil rig explosion caused massive environmental damage in the Gulf of Mexico.
He departed with a £1.045 million severance payment.
Dudley led BP from 2010 to 2020, stepping in when the company faced its gravest crisis—the Deepwater Horizon disaster.
His first task was directing the Gulf Coast cleanup and managing relations with authorities.
He achieved success via:
Energy Intelligence named him 2018's Petroleum Executive of the Year, and he received a CBE for strengthening British industry and energy security.
Bernard Looney's 3.5-year tenure as BP CEO centered on transforming the oil giant toward renewable energy.
He committed BP to net-zero emissions by 2050 and planned to cut oil production by 40% within a decade.
BP fully withdrew from Russia after the Ukraine invasion and increased its renewable energy investments tenfold.
The company achieved 35% better process safety, 20% higher production, and 23 major projects completed under budget.
Looney resigned in September 2023 for failing to disclose personal relationships with colleagues.
Murray Auchincloss stepped into BP's leadership after the scandal.
After serving as interim CEO since September 2023, he secured the permanent position in January 2024.
Auchincloss brings deep operational experience to the role.
He joined BP through the 1998 Amoco merger and served as Chief Financial Officer from 2020 to 2023.
Colleagues describe him as reserved and media-averse.
As CEO, he faces three core challenges:
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