BP Deputy CEO Carol Howle to retire amid leadership overhaul
Trading chief to leave in third quarter as the company appoints new heads of trading and people functions.
BP has announced the retirement of Deputy CEO and trading chief Carol Howle, extending a series of leadership changes that have reshaped the company’s executive team in recent months. Howle, who has spent 26 years at BP and was appointed deputy CEO in April after serving as interim chief executive, will leave the company during the third quarter.
The executive currently oversees the company’s supply, trading and shipping business, as well as its ongoing portfolio review and strategy development. Her successor will be Sam Skerry, who has led the mergers and acquisitions business since 2022 and will assume responsibility for the supply, trading and shipping division from August.
The transition comes as BP continues to redefine its leadership structure following the appointment of Meg O’Neill as CEO in April, replacing Murray Auchincloss. Chairman Albert Manifold also departed in May. O’Neill said the deputy CEO position will not be replaced as the company moves forward with efforts to streamline its organizational model.
In a further management change, Sonya Adams, BP’s chief of staff since 2024, will take responsibility for the company’s people and culture functions. She succeeds Kerry Dryburgh, who is leaving the company after 16 years.
The appointments follow BP’s strategic reset announced last year, which shifted its focus back toward oil and gas investments after a period of expansion into lower-carbon businesses. Most of the senior leaders associated with that earlier strategy have since left the company.
