BP (NYSE:BP) has appointed long-serving executive Carol Howle as Deputy CEO, effective immediately, a move that centralizes the firm’s strategic and trading operations as it navigates intensifying pressure to balance green energy ambitions with fossil fuel returns.
Howle, a 25-year veteran of the London-based energy giant, will retain her current leadership of BP’s powerful Supply, Trading, and Shipping (ST&S) division.
In her expanded capacity, she assumes direct responsibility for the company’s ongoing global portfolio review and long-term strategy development.
The restructuring also shifts the strategy and sustainability teams under her supervision, effectively consolidating the decision-making process for BP’s trajectory beyond its 2027 targets.
The appointment marks the first major leadership shuffle under CEO Meg O’Neill, who recently took the helm of the company.
By elevating Howle—who served as interim CEO in late 2025—BP appears to be signaling a pivot toward tighter capital discipline and a more pragmatic approach to the energy transition.