John browne bp biography of william
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In 2007, Lord Browne joined Riverstone, where he was co-head of the world’s largest renewable energy private equity fund until 2015. He is independent co-Chairman of the Prime Minister’s Council on Science and Technology, Chairman of the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering, Chairman of the Courtauld Institute of Art, and a past President of the Royal Academy of Engineering.
He focused initially on exploration and production, working at BP's major facilities in Alaska, as well as elsewhere in the US, Canada, and the UK between 1969 and 1983, when he became Group Treasurer and Chief Executive of BP Finance International.
Lord Browne was rapidly promoted through the BP system.
He is the author of the memoir Beyond Business; popular science book Seven Elements that Have Changed the World; The Glass Closet, a book on why LGBT inclusion is good for business; and Connect, a which discusses how companies succeed by engaging closely with society.
Professional position
- Fellow and Former President, Royal Academy of Engineering
- Chairman, Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford
- Chairman of Trustees, Tate
- Chairman, Huawei Technologies (UK)
- Chairman of Trustees, Queen Elizabeth Prize Foundation
- Chairman, Courtauld Institute of Art
Subject groups
- Engineering and Materials Science
Engineering, environmental, Engineering, general
- Other
Public understanding of science, Science policy
Lord Browne is a Senior Advisor at General Atlantic on climate and Net Zero, providing strategic support and advice to the firm’s investment teams and portfolio companies.
He led the company through a period of significant growth and transformation, including BP’s merger with Amoco in 1998. He is currently Chairman of Wintershall Dea, Europe’s largest independent oil and gas company.
From 2010 to 2015, Lord Browne was the UK Government’s Lead Non-Executive Board Member. Those nominating him emphasized the visionary way in which he has shaped BP through pioneering its downstream alliance in Europe with Mobil Corp.; seeking innovative ways to apply finance and technology, notably in the development of new frontier oil provinces in Colombia and west of Shetland Islands; and for successfully managing risk in newly opened regions, including Algeria and the Caspian.
Lord Browne joined BP in 1966 as an apprentice, before receiving degrees from Cambridge University in Physics and from Stanford University in Business.
Long a supporter of British science and engineering, John has served as President of the British Science Association and as President of the Royal Academy of Engineering. He returned to London in 1989 as Managing Director and member of BP's Board of Directors in 1991, and Group Chief Executive on July 1, 1995.
John Browne
Lord Browne is Chairman of BeyondNetZero, a climate growth equity fund established in partnership with General Atlantic.
Lord Browne is the author of five books.
Lord Browne is the Founding Chair Emeritus of the International Advisory Board and also founder of the Lord Browne Scholarship in Public Service Scholarship at the School.
Group Chief Executive (The British Petroleum Company, plc)
Lord John Browne was singled out by his peers for his vision in restructuring BP and making it one of the most profitable companies in the world.
He was the Chief Executive of BP from 1995 to 2007 and was one of the first senior figures in the oil and gas industry to accept the scientific arguments for anthropogenic climate change. He is a former Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Cambridge Judge Business School.
His application of scientific principles at one of the UK’s largest companies helped shape the climate debate within the energy industry and improved the lives of many people across the world. His landmark speech at Stanford University in 1997 established BP as a global leader in the way it thought about and sought to address climate change.
In addition to his degree in physics from the University of Cambridge, he holds an MS degree in business from Stanford University, California. In 2007, Lord Browne joined Riverstone, where he was co-head of the world’s largest renewable energy private equity fund until 2015. He is Chairman of Windward, a global maritime predictive intelligence company and Chairman of SparkCognition, an artificial intelligence technology company.
Lord Browne is independent co-Chairman of the Prime Minister’s Council on Science and Technology, Chairman of the Francis Crick Institute, Chairman of the Courtauld Institute of Art, and a former Chairman of the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering as well as a past President of the Royal Academy of Engineering.
Lord Browne was educated St John’s College, Cambridge, where he earned a BA degree in physics.
He served as Group Chief Executive of international energy company BP from 1995 to 2007, after having joined the company in 1966 as a university apprentice.
He holds honorary doctorates from 19 universities and is an Honorary Fellow of St John’s College, Cambridge. He served as Group Chief Executive of international energy company BP from 1995 to 2007, having joined the company in 1966 as a university apprentice.