bp has announced a new organisational structure designed to simplify the company, strengthen execution and support delivery of its strategic priorities.
Effective 1 July 2026, bp will operate through two core business segments – Upstream and Downstream – replacing its current three-segment structure. The company said the move is intended to reduce organisational complexity and improve operational performance.
As part of the changes, Gordon Birrell has been appointed Executive Vice President, Upstream, while Richard Harding will serve as Interim Executive Vice President, Downstream. bp noted that both executives bring extensive operational and leadership experience to their new roles. A recruitment process is underway to appoint a permanent EVP for the Downstream business.
Meg O’Neill, bp’s Chief Executive Officer, said the changes reflect feedback received from employees, partners and investors and are intended to accelerate delivery of the company’s strategy.
The two-segment model – one focused on resource development and production, and the other on customers and markets – will clarify accountabilities and enable faster, more effective decision-making.
Upstream will bring together bp’s oil and gas regions, including exploration, development and production activities, streamlining how the company finds, develops and produces the energy the world needs. It will also include bp’s upstream joint ventures and its renewable natural gas and CCS businesses.
Downstream will include refining, terminals, pipelines, mobility and convenience, biofuels, aviation, hydrogen and Castrol, aligning how bp makes, moves and sells its products.
Supply, Trading & Shipping will continue to operate across both segments, supporting delivery and value creation across the integrated system. As a distinctive capability for bp, it connects the portfolio, optimizes flows and delivers material value uplift.
Renewable businesses, including solar and offshore wind, will sit within the Technology function as bp continues to advance a capital-light model in these areas.
This organizational change builds on the concrete actions bp is taking to simplify its portfolio, reduce costs, maintain tight capex discipline and strengthen its balance sheet – all in service of growing value and returns for shareholders.
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