• CERAWeek
  • March 18 - 22, 2024

Gordon Birrell

bp p.l.c.

Executive vice president, production & operations

Gordon Birrell is Upstream Chief Operating Officer of production, transformation, and carbon, and a member of Upstream Executive Team at BP. Mr. Birrell’s global portfolio includes accountabilities for safety and environmental performance, production operations and wells activities, procurement and supply chain, engineering, low carbon agenda, modernization, and transformation of the upstream. He joined BP in 1986 and has wide leadership experience, including Regional President for Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey; Head of Safety and Operational Risk for Upstream; Upstream Technology Vice President; Head of Upstream Executive Office; and business leadership roles in Canada, Alaska, and the North Sea. Mr. Birrell also served as Director of BP Exploration Operating Company Ltd and Britoil plc. He was Chairman of the International Oil and Gas Producers Association (IOGP) for two years. Mr. Birrell is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and a Fellow of the Institute of Engineering and Technology.

Sessions With Gordon Birrell

Tuesday, 12 March

  • 11:35am - 12:35pm (CST) / -

    Global Upstream Strategies: Diversification versus specialization

    Panel Oil

    Since the oil price drop in 2014, oil & gas companies have refocused their portfolios in search of cost competitiveness. As a result, more companies have become de-facto specialists for certain asset types or geographies (such as North American unconventionals, oil sands, integrated gas projects). Conversely, the energy transition is spurring some larger companies to diversify into low-carbon solutions. How will this dichotomy of specialization and diversification impact the design of future upstream portfolios? How will diversified players make their capital allocation decisions between quite different business segments? What impact will the energy transition have on each class of upstream players?