Using digital technologies to advance bp’s operations: Mark’s story
As VP of Digital Workplace, Mark is working closely with the team at bp’s new Digital Hub in Pune, India. The hub will create, grow and deliver a range of digital solutions to advance bp’s operations and ultimately enable the organisation’s net zero ambition
In his own words, Mark is an “interesting product of the 1990s”. He studied Latin, Ancient Greek and History at school, before graduating from university with a degree in Modern History. At the same time Mark was exploring his growing passion for computing and IT. “I have always been fascinated by technology, as well as opportunities for human advancement through technology”, he says. “My academic background taught me how to think and to learn which enabled me to enter a technology career where I could develop the specific skills I needed”.
Mark joined bp after starting his career in consulting. “bp were one of the first clients I worked with and it was the behaviours I saw in the bp employees I was working with then that inspired me to later join the company,” Mark explains.
Mark’s career at bp began as an IT Delivery Manager in trading, leading the delivery of a new system for the global oil trading business to manage market exposure and calculate settlement pricing. Since then, he has worked in a variety of roles across bp, from the Programme Director for Cloud Transformation across the group; to a CIO role covering both bp Shipping, and corporate functions.
Enabling collaboration across bp
Mark is now bp’s VP of Digital Workplace and is accountable for all of the end user digital technologies in bp, from laptops, tablets and phones, through to collaboration technologies such as Microsoft Teams.
Mark describes his role as having two central pillars. “My job is firstly to help teams across bp be as productive as possible,” he explains, “meaning much of my time is spent meeting people understanding their needs. The other part is dedicated to looking forward and anticipating change so that I can go back to my team and ask, ‘what next?”
Mark will be working closely with the team at bp’s new Digital Hub in Pune, India. The hub will create, grow and deliver a range of digital solutions to advance bp’s operations and ultimately enable the organisation’s net zero ambition. “The hub will offer access to a new talent pool, to which we can ask some interesting questions”, Mark explains. “Crucially, it will have the technical depth and capability to explore, experiment and execute the digital solutions that bp needs.”
At its core, the digital hub will be comprised of an operational team, focussed on productivity and collaboration tools and tasked with finding solutions to business problems through the application of this technology.
At the centre of reimagining energy
Mark is also a big believer in the role digital will play in delivering a low carbon future.
Reflecting on bp’s ambition, Mark says: “I’m very proud to see the company’s response to the climate challenge. You do really get the sense that everyone at bp is working out how we can reimagine energy.”