Murray Auchincloss

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Murray Auchincloss
Born1970 (age 5556)
CitizenshipCanada
OccupationBusiness executive
TitleGroup CEO, BP
TermJanuary 2024–December 2025
Predecessor Bernard Looney
Successor Meg O'Neill

Murray Michael Auchincloss (born 1970) [1] is a Canadian business executive who was the chief executive of BP from January 2024 to December 2025.

Contents

Education

Auchincloss earned BCom degree in finance from the University of Calgary. [2]

Career

Auchincloss qualified as a chartered financial analyst at West Virginia University in the United States. [3] He began his career as a tax analyst at Amoco in 1992, prior to its merger with BP in 1998. [4] From July 2020 to September 2023, he was the chief financial officer of BP. [2] He is a director of Aker BP ASA, a main committee member of The 100 Group, and a member of the European Round Table for CFOs. [2] [5]

In September 2023, he was appointed interim chief executive of BP, following the sudden resignation of Bernard Looney due to failing to reveal relationships with colleagues. [6] Auchincloss was also reported by The Times to be in a relationship with a colleague. A spokeswoman for BP said that the relationship did not represent a breach of BP’s code of conduct and had been "fully and appropriately disclosed" to the group. [7]

Auchincloss is one of the highest paid executives in the UK. His 2023 pay packet stood at £8 million ($10 million). [8] His pay for 2023 included a salary of £1.02 million, a bonus of £1.8 million and share-based rewards worth £4.6 million, as well as other benefits. [9] On February 26, 2025, Auchincloss announced a strategic shift to scale back its renewable energy investments and prioritize oil and gas production, aiming to increase annual fossil fuel investments by 20 per cent to $10 billion while cutting renewables funding by over $5 billion. [10] This decision, driven by pressure from shareholders like Elliot Management for higher profits, drew sharp criticism from environmental groups. Notably, Global Witness, an environmental advocacy organization, drove a lorry through central London displaying messages condemning BP’s move. [11]

In December 2025, BP's board led by Albert Manifold replaced Auchincloss as CEO with Meg O'Neill. [12]

Personal life

Prior to becoming BP CFO, Auchincloss disclosed he was in a relationship with a BP employee, with whom he has a child. [13] [14]

References

  1. Wilson, Tom (20 January 2024). "Murray Auchincloss: the quiet man taking centre stage at BP" . Financial Times . Retrieved 28 August 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 "Murray Auchincloss". BP. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  3. McCormick, Myles; Smyth, Jamie (17 January 2024). "Murray Auchincloss: BP turns to the continuity candidate" . Financial Times . Retrieved 28 August 2025.
  4. Ferman, Mitchell; Gopinath, Swetha; Nair, Dinesh (21 February 2025). "BP's CEO Cut His Teeth on Crisis — Now He Faces the Toughest Test Yet" . Bloomberg News . Retrieved 28 August 2025.
  5. Butler, Eleanor (17 January 2024). "BP appoints new permanent CEO, Murray Auchincloss". Euronews.
  6. Lawson, Alex (12 September 2023). "BP boss Bernard Looney resigns after failing to reveal relationships with colleagues". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  7. Martin, Ben (15 September 2023). "Bernard Looney's replacement at BP also in relationship with colleague". ISSN   0140-0460 . Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  8. "BP: New boss Murray Auchincloss gets £8m pay packet in 2023". BBC News. 8 March 2024. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  9. Jolly, Jasper (8 March 2024). "BP claws back £1.8m from sacked boss Looney and hands new CEO £8m pay deal". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  10. Ambrose, Jillian (26 February 2025). "BP to ramp up oil and gas output in major shift away from green goals". The Guardian . ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 26 February 2025.
  11. "BP shuns renewables in return to oil and gas". BBC News. 26 February 2025. Retrieved 26 February 2025.
  12. Ferman, Mitchell; Crowley, Kevin; Liao, Ruth (18 December 2025). "BP's Sudden CEO Swap Is the Shock Investors Wanted to See". Bloomberg News .
  13. Bousso, Ron (17 January 2024). "BP's Auchincloss named CEO, reaffirms energy transition plan". Reuters . Retrieved 28 August 2025.
  14. Hurst, Laura; Gopinath, Swetha; Nair, Dinesh (17 January 2024). "BP Names Auchincloss as New CEO After Predecessor's Scandal" . Bloomberg News . Retrieved 28 August 2025.