John Browne, Baron Browne of Madingley
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| Born: | February 20, 1948 Hamburg, Germany |
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| Occupation: | CEO, BP |
- For other notable people called John Browne, see John Browne (disambiguation).
Edmund John Philip Browne, Baron Browne of Madingley, FRS FREng (b. February 20, 1948) is group Chief Executive of BP and President of the Royal Academy of Engineering.
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[edit] BP Career
Browne was born in Hamburg, Germany to a British Army officer and a Hungarian Auschwitz survivor. His father also worked in civilian life for Anglo-Persian Oil, which later became British Petroleum. He was educated at the King's School, Ely and St John's College, Cambridge, where he earned a First Class Bachelor's degree in Physics; he later obtained an MS from Stanford Business School. In May 2003, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Engineering degree from the Colorado School of Mines. At the suggestion of his father, Browne joined BP as an apprentice in 1966 while still at university and he has remained with the corporation throughout his career. In 1969 Browne worked as a BP field engineer in Anchorage, Alaska.[1]. He has served as group chief executive since 1995.
It was announced on 25 July 2006 that Browne would stand down as chief executive of BP in December 2008, 10 months after his 60th birthday. There had been press speculation that he had wished to continue beyond this date, but he made it clear that he did not wish to do so. On 12 January 2007, it was announced that his retirement date has been brought forward to July 2007 and that he would be succeeded by Tony Hayward.
[edit] Green isues promoted by Browne
From 1997, Browne challenged oil industry rejection of global warming and sought to recreate BP as a "green" energy company. The company linked itself in its corporate communications with green issues by the overt link of its BP initials with the phrase "Beyond Petroleum". Though many dispute that an oil company can truly be environmentally sensitive, Browne has stated that the right to heat, light and mobility are crucial for people everywhere and that he sees his company's mission as to find ways to meet current needs without excessive harm to the environment, while developing future, more sustainable sources of energy. He has promised that BP will cut its emission of greenhouse gases by 10% by 2010.
[edit] Life outside BP
Lord Browne is a bachelor and lists fine cigars, antique furniture and the arts among his interests. He is one of the highest paid executives in the UK with a remuneration package of approximately £5.7 million in 2004. He became President of the Royal Academy of Engineering in July 2006. He took over from Frances Cairncross as President of the British Association for the Advancement of Science in September 2006, and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2006. In 1998, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II and in 2001 named as one of the "people's peers" taking the title Baron Browne of Madingley, in the County of Cambridgeshire, and becoming a crossbencher (independent member) in the House of Lords.
He is a non-executive director of the Intel Corporation and Goldman Sachs, a trustee of the British Museum, a member of the Governing Body of the London Business School and a member of the Supervisory Board of DaimlerChrysler AG. He is also emeritus chairman of the Advisory Board of the Stanford Graduate School of Business and the Judge Business School, Cambridge as well as a trustee of The Conference Board, Inc. and a vice president and member of the board of the Prince of Wales Business Leaders Forum. On his retirement from BP he will become Chairman of the private equity firm Apax Partners.
