{"text":[[{"start":8.65,"text":"When BP went looking for a new chief executive last year, the British oil company did something it almost never does — it hired an outsider. "}],[{"start":16.950000000000003,"text":"Meg O’Neill, the no-nonsense chief executive of Australia’s Woodside Energy, was handpicked by BP chair Albert Manifold to right the company after its disastrous pivot to green energy. As the first woman to lead a top-five oil major, she stood out among her peers."}],[{"start":35,"text":"Investors hoped she and Manifold would return BP to its roots as a hydrocarbons company. This week, however, Manifold’s time as chair came to an abrupt end after the board, including O’Neill, voted unanimously to fire him. Manifold faces allegations of aggressive behaviour towards colleagues that some claim amounted to “bullying”. He has characterised claims against him as “lies”. "}],[{"start":59.05,"text":"The chair’s sudden departure leaves O’Neill in the driving seat at a particularly turbulent time. BP has lost two chief executives and two chairs in three years and this latest round of corporate bloodletting coincides with what the International Energy Agency says is the worst energy crisis in history. "}],[{"start":76.44999999999999,"text":"Yet those close to her say O’Neill is well qualified for the task, with a management style very different to the allegations around Manifold. “She does not have a tolerance for bullying,” says Ann Pickard, who serves on Woodside’s board. "}],[{"start":89.85,"text":"When asked whether Manifold had ever acted aggressively towards O’Neill, one person with knowledge of the situation laughed and said: “Even if he did, I’m sure she could handle him.” "}],[{"start":100.94999999999999,"text":"O’Neill, who is almost universally referred to by her first name, is described as calm, unfussy and pragmatic. “She’s an introvert, she thinks and then speaks,” says Pickard, who remembers questioning whether this would make O’Neill a suitable candidate for Woodside CEO. She was reassured after reading a study that suggested introverted leaders were often more successful."}],[{"start":124.35,"text":"Those who know O’Neill tend to point to her “toughness” and hard-nosed approach. She is, they say, direct and seems to dislike small talk. Within weeks of taking the top job at BP, she had rearranged its structure into an oil and gas business reminiscent of its pre-renewable energy shift. "}],[{"start":142.35,"text":"Born in Boulder, Colorado, in 1970, O’Neill earned bachelor’s degrees in chemical engineering and ocean engineering and a master’s in ocean systems management from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. According to her new colleagues at BP, she tends to be most animated when talking about technical and operational work, frequently asking, “What have you learned?” during conversations."}],[{"start":167,"text":"She also bears the hallmarks of an ExxonMobil alumnus, having spent the first 23 years of her career with the US oil major, including as an adviser to former chief executive Rex Tillerson before he left to become US secretary of state. "}],[{"start":181.9,"text":"“She is a product of the Exxon machine and they groom good people,” says one veteran oil executive who worked with her. “She is calm, considered, humble, and it’s all about the team.”"}],[{"start":192.85,"text":"O’Neill, who lives with her wife, Vicky Hayes, with whom she shares a daughter, excelled at Exxon. But life as a gay woman living in Texas was not without its challenges. “I know it’s one of the reasons she came to Woodside . . . she wanted to be out,” said Pickard. "}],[{"start":208.65,"text":"Peter Coleman, the former Woodside chief executive who persuaded O’Neill to leave Exxon in 2018 and join the Australian company, said she was also unusual in the CEO world because she didn’t seek the trimmings of office. On her first day as interim CEO she unlocked the permissions on the lifts so that all employees could access the executive suite on the top floor of the headquarters. “In many ways she is a joy for a chair to work with because you are not worried that your CEO is engaged in corporate politics,” he says. "}],[{"start":237.85,"text":"“Meg is a good person to deal with: honest, calm, a very good listener and straightforward. There’s no nonsense and you know you’re dealing with a trustworthy counterparty,” says Martin Houston, who as executive chair of Tellurian was involved in the sale of the LNG company to Woodside in 2024."}],[{"start":256.4,"text":"Throughout her career O’Neill has been unapologetic about her support of investment in oil and gas, doing little to provide any strategy for an energy transition away from fossil fuels while at Woodside and calling some young activists “zealous”. While her approach has angered climate groups, it has garnered praise from the industry. "}],[{"start":275.9,"text":"Bayo Ogunlesi, chair of Global Infrastructure Partners, calls her a “standout leader”, saying she combines “intense focus on operational excellence with clear strategic thinking”."}],[{"start":286.79999999999995,"text":"In its statement announcing the sacking of Manifold, BP said it was “very impressed” with O’Neill. But the company now faces intense pressure from battle-weary shareholders who want to see it capitalise on higher oil prices resulting from the Iran war. And O’Neill will be judged on whether BP meets ambitious targets to bring down its debt."}],[{"start":308.09999999999997,"text":"“She made massive changes at Woodside without so much as a hint of scandal,” says Saul Kavonic, an analyst with MST Marquee who covered the company during O’Neill’s tenure. “I can’t think of a better oil and gas executive to sort out BP’s mess. Maybe BP is unfixable but if anyone can do it, it’s her.”"}],[{"start":328.34999999999997,"text":"Additional reporting by Malcolm Moore and Arash Massoudi"}],[{"start":338.69999999999993,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1780130822_3695.mp3"}