8th May 2007 13:11
BP PLC08 May 2007 May 8, 2007 BP BOARD APPOINTS INDEPENDENT EXPERT TO MONITOR PROGRESS ON BAKER REPORT The board of BP p.l.c. today announced that it has appointed L. Duane Wilson asthe independent expert who will monitor progress in implementing therecommendations of the Baker Panel to improve safety performance at the Group'sfive US refineries which are owned and operated by BP Products North America,Inc. The Panel, an independent body chaired by former US Secretary of State, James A.Baker, III, was established by BP on the recommendation of the US ChemicalSafety Board to examine safety management systems at the Group's US refineriesand corporate safety culture following the explosion and fire at Texas City inMarch 2005. Mr Wilson was one of the Panel's 11 members. The Panel's report, published in January 2007, contained ten recommendations,all of which BP undertook to implement. The recommendations are designed toimprove process safety performance at the Group's US refineries. These includedan undertaking to appoint an independent expert for a period of at least fiveyears to monitor and report annually on the progress of such implementation tothe BP p.l.c. board. Mr Wilson is the retired vice president of refining, marketing, supply &transportation and fuels technology for ConocoPhillips. As such, he hasexperience and expertise in managing large-scale organisations, as well asexpertise in process safety and refining. Mr Wilson will report to the Chairman of the BP p.l.c. board's Safety, Ethicsand Environmental Assurance Committee (SEEAC) which will produce a publiclyavailable report based on his assessment of progress in implementing the Panel'srecommendations at its US refineries. His appointment took effect on 1 May, 2007. Note to editors: • A biography of L. Duane Wilson is attached below: L. Duane Wilson is the retired vice president of refining, marketing, supply &transportation (RMS&T)-Fuels Technology, for ConocoPhillips. Mr. Wilson joined Conoco, Inc. in 1962 and held a series of engineering,supervisory, and executive positions. Early in his career, he served asAssistant Manager and as Director of Conoco's Refining Division of ProcessEngineering. From 1975 to 1982, he served as Manager of Process Engineering.From 1982 to 1985, he worked for Conoco's former parent company, DuPont, at theCorporate Engineering Department in Wilmington, Delaware. In 1985, he returnedto Conoco, Inc., working briefly as Manager of the Maintenance EngineeringDepartment and in 1986, he was named Vice President of Engineering. Mr. Wilson became Vice President of Research and Engineering in 1988, leading alarge organization of scientific, engineering, technical, and support people. In1994 he was named Vice President, RMS&T-Technology with responsibility forresearch and development, worldwide engineering and construction, and technicalsupport. He was also the functional leader of the global manufacturing team forthe company's refining, marketing, supply and transportation operations. Mr. Wilson was named Vice President of Fuels Technology in 2001 where he wasresponsible for leading the company's strategic efforts in the areas of emergingfuels, engine technologies, and manufacturing capabilities. He retired from thatposition at the end of 2002. Prior to his retirement, Mr. Wilson played animportant role in the merger between Conoco, Inc. and Phillips Petroleum Co. Mr. Wilson currently serves on The University of Tulsa Board of Trustees and onthe Board of Directors of i2E, Inc., a not-for-profit corporation focused ongrowing the technology-based entrepreneurial economy in Oklahoma. He has alsoserved on Governor Keating's Science and Technology Advisory Council TechnologySummit, on Oklahoma's Economic Development Generating Excellence (EDGE) AdvancedMaterials Committee, and as the Chairman of AdMat Oklahoma, affiliated with theOklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology. Mr. Wilson earned a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from TheUniversity of Tulsa and also completed the Advanced Management Program atHarvard Business School. - ENDS - This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock ExchangeRelated Shares:
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