Industry leadership and expertise across the entire Biofuels value chain
After a number of leadership roles in the Downstream Oil sector, including CFO of a BP business unit and Sales Director for Castrol Automotive in Northern Europe, I had the privilege of joining the newly-formed BP Biofuels business at its inception in 2006. The purpose of this new business was to make large-scale investments in new technologies and production assets to develop higher quality, more sustainable and more affordable biofuels. This led to a number of significant projects and investments, including the construction of a new ethanol plant in the UK, the acquisition of three sugarcane-to-ethanol mills in Brazil, and technology programmes for 2nd generation technologies including ligno-cellulosic ethanol, bio-butanol and heterotrophic algae.
In 2014, I was appointed to lead the BP Midstream business in the UK, which included direct accountability for compliance with the RTFO (UK renewable fuel regulation) and margin maximisation from our biofuels activities. Then between 2018 and 2020, I led the Biofuels Centre of Expertise for BP in Europe, a cross-functional team responsible for achieving maximum margin from the obligated demand generated by biofuels regulations across EU countries.
These two phases of my career have given me a unique insight into the end-to-end biofuels value chain, from early stage technology evaluation and feedstock choices to compliance fulfillment and – crucially – margin maximisation.
WHERE MY EXPERTISE CAN HELP YOU
Commercial
For obligated parties, biofuels should always be seen as an opportunity rather than a cost. The diverse array of available compliance options creates a wealth of arbitrage and optionality opportunities to optimise the “compliance recipe”.
Technology
Biofuels can be produced using a mind-boggling variety of feedstocks, production pathways, and resulting products. They all have different economic and sustainability outcomes and are treated differently by regulations across Europe and the world.
Regulatory
Biofuels regulations tend to be complex and full of potential pitfalls, nowhere more so that in Europe, where the European-level directive (REDII) is being implemented by each Member State in a subtly different way, increasing complexity exponentially.
Sustainability
Biofuels must be sustainable, and accepted by Society as such, or they will fail. Europe/UK already has highly sophisticated sustainability elements in its biofuels regulations. The incentives for some feedstocks / technologies, and restrictions on others, will only get more complex as the science of sustainability progresses.
RELEVANT Experience
Business Development Manager, Europe, BP Biofuels
2006 – 2007
Key projects included jatropha production JV, ethanol plants in UK & Hungary and biodiesel project in Spain
Global Head of Strategy, Regulatory Affairs & Comms, BP Biofuels
2009 – 2013
Accountable for the Strategy of the business globally, resulting in $2bn investment over 5 years. Also accountable for advocacy to help shape biofuels regulations
General Manager Europe & Africa, BP Biofuels
2007 – 2008
Leading all aspects of the business to develop material investment opportunities for biofuels production in the region
Biofuels CoE Director, BP Europe
2018 – 2020
Accountable for the delivery of the sourcing, blending and compliance margin for BP as an obligated party across 10 European countries
