Mark J. Thomas

Mark Thomas is a veteran operating executive with a record of transformative leadership and value creation across the globe. Over his 38-year career with bp, Mark developed a deep knowledge of board and executive processes, strategic transactions, commercial optimization, front-line operations, and Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance. He has a strong appreciation for the nuance of global business, having lived and worked in nine countries and conducted business in 20 others.

Mark’s most recent role as Group Chief Executive Officer, Bapco Energies, previously known as “nogaholding” has accountability for managing the Government of the Kingdom of Bahrain’s investments in the oil and gas sector. The Bapco Energies Group, comprising 15 subsidiary companies, spans the entire oil and gas value chain from exploration, through midstream infrastructure and downstream petrochemicals and refining. Reporting to the Board of Directors and Chairman His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Mark is accountable for the overall financial and operating performance of the Group and the Group Strategy that integrates the subsidiaries under one umbrella organization. Mark is Chairman of the Board of Bapco Gas & Bapco Gas Expansion, Chairman of BACJET Fuel Company, Vice Chairman of Bapco Refining, a member of the Bapco Upstream Board of Directors and SteerCo Chairman of BMP Project.

As Head of Group Chief Executive’s Office (2018-2020), Mark was an advisor to bp CEO Bob Dudley and a steward of executive processes. He worked directly with the executive team and the Board of Directors and had oversight of strategy development and investment governance. He also provided support to Mr. Dudley in his roles as Chair of the Oil & Gas Climate Initiative (OGCI) and Chair of the World Economic Forum Oil & Gas Governors Committee.

As Regional President of bp’s North Sea business (2015-2018), Mark transformed the core business to improve profitability while setting the foundation for production to double over the next five years. Among the changes, Mark led the divestment of $1.5B of non-strategic assets, reduced headcount by 70%, invested in focused growth opportunities, and improved overall safety performance to best in the basin.

Earlier, as Vice President Operations, bp Azerbaijan (2009-2014), Mark was the operational leader for one of bp’s top three global businesses, accountable for the safe and reliable operation of two mega-fields that produced one million barrels of oil equivalent daily. He also served as Head of Engineering, Maintenance and Subsea in the North Sea business, Performance Unit Leader for Central North Sea, Southern North Sea, and President and Managing Director of BP Nederland Energies, among other big operational roles.

Mark began his career as a Project Engineer for Amoco Canada and was a Commercial Negotiator for Amoco in Trinidad and Tobago when the company merged with bp in 2000. He earned an MBA from European University in Antwerp and a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of New Brunswick in Canada. He has served as the Chair of the Board of the International School of Azerbaijan, the Second Vice President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Azerbaijan, and a member of the Board and head of the Audit Committee of the UK Offshore Oil & Gas Association in Aberdeen.