Vivienne Cox

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Vivienne Cox
DBE
Born
Dame Vivienne Cox

May 1959 (age 66)
Occupation(s)Businesswoman, chairman of the supervisory board of Vallourec

Dame Vivienne Cox, DBE (born May 1959) is a British businesswoman, chairman of the supervisory board of Vallourec, the French multinational steel components company.

Cox was born in 1959 [1] and grew up in Devon. [2] She attended St Catherine's College [3] and graduated from the University of Oxford with an MA in chemistry and from INSEAD with an MBA degree. She holds honorary doctorates from the University of Hull and the University of Hertfordshire. [4]

Cox joined the British oil company BP in 1981 [3] to become head of the company's alternative energy division, and the highest ranking female staff. She resigned in 2009. [5] She then became chairperson of the supervisory board of Vallourec, a French multinational steel components company. She is also a non-executive director of Pearson PLC and a commissioner at the UK's Airports Commission. [6] [7] By 2011, she became the Chairman of Climate Change Capital, a green investment and management firm. [2]

Since July 2016, Cox has been a non-executive director of GlaxoSmithKline. [8] In July 2018, she became the first Chair of the Rosalind Franklin Institute. [9] In 2021, she was appointed chairwoman of Victrex, the supplier of polymers. [10] In 2025, she became director of both Pyrol Investco and Endolys. [11]

Honours

Cox was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2016 New Year Honours for services to the economy and sustainability [12] and Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2022 New Year Honours for services to sustainability, and to diversity and inclusion in business. [13]

References

  1. ↑ "Pearson PLC". Companies House. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  2. 1 2 Dakotah, Matthew (23 June 2011). "Women In Power: Former BP Executive Says 'Climate Change Is Real -- We Are Still Not Taking It Seriously Enough'". HuffPost. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
  3. 1 2 Kay, Helen (22 January 1994). "Hydrocarbons before hydrangeas: Vivienne Cox, qualified chemist and". The Independent. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
  4. ↑ "Vivienne Cox - Chair Designate at Victrex". THE ORG. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
  5. ↑ "BP's top woman Vivienne Cox resigns". Management Today. 9 June 2009. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
  6. ↑ "Vivienne Cox Non-executive director". Pearson. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  7. ↑ "Vivienne Cox CBE - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
  8. ↑ "Dr Vivienne Cox | GSK". www.gsk.com. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
  9. ↑ "Business Secretary Greg Clark announces £100 million investment for new research institute". epsrc.ukri.org. 23 February 2017. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  10. ↑ Miller, Robert (20 September 2021). "Victrex hires Vivienne Cox to chair board". The Times. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
  11. ↑ "Dame Vivienne Cox (Pyrol Investco Ltd) - Director Profile - Endole". open.endole.co.uk. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
  12. ↑ "No. 61450". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 2015. p. N8.
  13. ↑ "No. 63571". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 January 2022. p. N8.


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