David Lawler new chairman and president of BP America

Lawler will take the helm as BP embarks on a new ambition to become net zero by 2050.

BP announced that David C. Lawler will succeed Susan Dio as chairman and president of BP America Inc., effective July 1, 2020.

David Lawler, who is currently CEO of BPX Energy, BP’s U.S. onshore oil and gas business, will become BP’s chief representative in the United States. He will continue as CEO of BPX Energy when he assumes his new role in July. With 13,000 employees and USD30 billion invested since 2016, BP has a larger economic footprint in the U.S. than anywhere else in the world. In 2019, these businesses accounted for a third of BP’s global revenue. Lawler will take the helm as BP embarks on a new ambition to become net zero by 2050 or sooner and to help the world get to net zero.

“Every day the BP America team works to deliver the energy the world needs. I’m honored to help them do that while also driving our transformation to become a net zero energy company,” said Lawler. “And we are committed to performing while transforming, keeping safety our top priority and continuing to provide competitive returns.”

Susan Dio, a 36-year veteran of BP who has served as BP America chairman and president since 2018, will retire later this year. A chemical engineer by training, she led the company through a dynamic period, including the rebuilding of BP’s U.S. headquarters in Houston, Texas, after Hurricane Harvey in 2017 and the response to the coronavirus outbreak in 2020.