The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
From Kenmare farm to head of BP
KENMARE man Bernard Looney has completed the transition from a small dairy farm in Ashgrove to the top of one of the world’s largest companies having been named as the next chief executive of BP.
The 49-year-old’s appointment was announced last week, and he will succeed Bob Dudley in the role next February.
According to the most recent Fortune Global 500 list, which ranks companies by revenue, BP is the seventh-largest company on the planet and the largest in the UK. As of the end of last year, it had some 73,000 employees and operated in 78 countries, with sales and operating revenues of almost $300billion.
The Kenmare man had been tipped many times in recent years to succeed Mr Dudley, but while his former headmaster at Holy Cross College, Kenmare, Gareth Power, said he saw great potential in Mr Looney, it would have been impossible to predict the level Mr Looney would rise to.
“He was a good student, very amenable, and he comes from a dairy-farming background in Ashgrove, just outside Kenmare,” Mr Power told The Kerryman. “He seemed to get on very well with everyone, and there were never any problems with him.
“I knew he was very capable and very pleasant but, of course, you couldn’t have foreseen what he went on to do.
“I’m delighted for him and delighted that he is one of many students at the school who went on to do very well. Caroline Spillane is another one, she is Director General of Engineers Ireland, but there are more as well.”
The Kenmare native is a son of the late Mary and Tom, and a brother to Kay, Ray, Tony and Frank.
He joined the company in 1991 – the same year he graduated from UCD with a degree in Electrical Engineering – as a drilling engineer, working in operational roles in the North Sea, Vietnam, and the Gulf of Mexico.
He has since climbed the ranks, and has been Chief Executive of BP’s Upstream business since 2016, responsible for all of the company’s oil and gas exploration.
Mr Looney takes the helm as BP faces pressure from shareholders to meet climate-change targets. In recent days, the Royal Shakespeare Company announced a premature end to its partnership with BP after students threatened to boycott the school over its links to the company.
He is used to high-pressure situations, however, having spent two months stationed in Houston in 2010 as the company attempted to deal with the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.
Upon his appointment, Mr Looney said he was humbled at being entrusted with responsibility at another very challenging time for the company, and he also paid tribute to Mr Dudley.
“It has been a great pleasure to work with Bob and it is an honour to succeed him as chief executive,” Mr Looney said.
“I am humbled by the responsibility that is being entrusted to me by the Board and am truly excited about both the role and BP’s future. Our company has amazing people, tremendous assets, and a set of core values that guide our actions, but most of all we have a desire to be better.”
Local Councillor Patrick O’Connor Scarteen (Fine Gael) is related to Mr Looney, and he said that it was “great to see someone from Kenmare and Kerry succeeding”.
“He comes from a small farm on the outskirts of Kenmare,” Cllr O’Connor-Scarteen said.
“I would know his brother [Frank] very well, and Bernard has always maintained strong links to where he came from.
“I think this is testament to his determination to succeed, and we all wish him well in his new role.
“I think one of the main things on the agenda for him will see the company moving towards more renewable energy, and it will be interesting to see how that goes for him.”