BP set to appoint Kate Thomson as its first female finance chief

BP is set to appoint its first female finance chief – making her the most powerful woman to work for the company in its 115-year history.

The FTSE 100 oil giant is expected to name Kate Thomson (pictured) as chief financial officer as it completes a leadership reshuffle in the wake of Bernard Looney’s departure.

Thomson was handed the job on a temporary basis when the incumbent Murray Auchincloss took Looney’s role after he stepped down in September for failing to disclose his relationships with staff. 

Auchincloss, 53, was named permanent chief executive last week and the board is expected to decide on the full-time appointment of Thomson, 55, before BP reports its full year results on February 6, according to Reuters.

That would make her the most powerful woman in BP’s history and one of the world’s most senior female oil executives. 

BP has never had a female chairman, chief executive of finance chief.

BP’s website praises her ‘deep technical knowledge, a detailed understanding of BP, and a first-class leadership record’.