Meg O’Neill accepts CEO appointment at bp

BP plc (bp) has appointed Meg O’Neill as bp’s next chief executive officer, effective Apr. 1, 2026. O’Neill, former chief executive officer and managing director of Woodside Energy, will succeed Murray Auchincloss, who will step down from his position as bp’s chief executive and director of the board, effective Dec. 18, 2025, and serve in an advisory role until December 2026.

Carol Howle, who currently serves as executive vice-president, supply, trading, and shipping at bp, will serve as interim chief executive officer until O’Neill joins the company in 2026. Howle has been in her current role since 2020. Prior, she ran bp shipping and was the chief operating officer for integrated supply and trading, oil. She has more than 20 years’ experience in the energy industry.

O’Neill has served as chief executive of Woodside Energy since 2021, having previously served as the company’s chief operations officer, executive vice-president development, and executive vice-president development and marketing. Before joining Woodside in 2018, she spent 23 years at ExxonMobil in technical, operational, and leadership positions around the world.

Succession to drive bp strategy

Albert Manifold, chair of bp, in a release Dec. 17, said the move comes following a comprehensive succession planning process.

Auchincloss, who has served more than three decades with bp and was named chief executive in 2024, said “now is the right time to hand the reins to a new leader. When Albert became chair, I expressed my openness to step down were an appropriate leader identified who could accelerate delivery of bp’s strategy.”

bp reiterated its vision to become “a simpler, leaner, and more profitable company,” noting progress made in recent years, and the view that O’Neill’s “proven track record of driving transformation, growth, and disciplined capital allocation makes her the right leader for bp,” Manifold said.

Woodside CEO succession plan

O’Neill resigned from her roles at Woodside to accept the role at bp plc.

Woodside has appointed Liz Westcott as acting chief executive officer, effective Dec. 18, 2025.

Westcott has led Woodside’s Australian Operations as executive vice-president and chief operating officer, Australia, since joining Woodside in June 2023.

She was previously the chief operating officer at Energy Australia, following a 25-year career at ExxonMobil working in Australia, the United Kingdom, and Italy.

Woodside chair Richard Goyder congratulated O’Neill on her appointment and thanked her for her significant contributions to Woodside.

“The Board’s appointment of Meg as CEO in 2021 set the foundation for Woodside’s transformational growth over recent years. This strong business performance has been translated into approximately $11 billion in dividends paid to shareholders since 2022, and a growth trajectory which is expected to deliver significant value.

Goyder said the board is “well positioned” to conclude its chief executive succession planning process with the intention of announcing a permanent appointment in first-quarter 2026.