Azerbaijan, Baku, Nov.2 / Trend /
Gordon Birrell will succeed Rashid as BP's Regional President for Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey (AGT), with effect from November 15, 2012, BP Azerbaijan's press release says.
Gordon is currently Head of Safety and Operational Risk for BP's Production Division, responsible for driving improvements in BP's operating quality across the company's global Production Division.
BP also announced today the appointment of Rashid Javanshir as Senior Vice-President, Strategy and Integration, based in London. Rashid has led BP's regional business in Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey since September 2009,
Bob Fryar, BP's Executive Vice President, Production says: "We are bringing Rashid to London to a position which will allow us to utilize his extensive experience beyond the AGT region and in support of the wider BP. We would like to thank Rashid for his leadership and extraordinary commitment to BP's success in Azerbaijan and the region.
"It is our firm intention to continue our success in the region through even closer cooperation with SOCAR, the government and our partners. To achieve this, we will continue to focus on safety, maximization of production and intensification of performance.
"Gordon, as an experienced leader and as someone previously involved in our exploration projects in Azerbaijan, will continue our successful partnership here through joint development and implementation of our long-term business plans, in particular, the plan for long-term stabilization of ACG production which is being developed with partners and the Government of Azerbaijan.
"I would also like to wish Rashid and Gordon every success in their important new roles".
Rashid has 17 years of leadership experience in BP, culminating in becoming Regional President of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey region in August 2009.
His previous roles include: exploration director Amoco Caspian Sea; president of Amoco Inam Operating Company; president of three BP Amoco-operated PSAs - Shah Deniz, Inam and Araz-Alov-Sharg; BP Group strategy development manager, based in London; vice-president for BP's Southern North Sea business in Aberdeen; chief executive officer of the BTC Co. and vice-president of BP Azerbaijan for Onshore Operations.
Rashid holds a number of scientific and educational degrees as Professor of Geophysics, Doctor of Geology and Mineralogy, PhD in Geophysics, and M.Sc. in Geophysics. He is a member of Azerbaijan's National Academy of Sciences. He also completed executive management programmes at Duke University, Rice University, and Harvard Business School.
Gordon is a highly experienced oil and gas industry professional with a 26-year track record of leading and operating in the Upstream. He joined BP in 1986 into the BP Graduate Training Programme.
Since late 2010 he has been the Head of Safety and Operational Risk for BP's Production Division leading a global team that is deployed into each region where BP operates in the upstream around the world. He was also a Director of the BP Subsea Well Response Company Ltd.
He is a chartered engineer and a Fellow of the Institute of Engineering and Technology.
Gordon has an MBA from Warwick University and an honours degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh.