• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place

2

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

3

Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster

1

Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place

2

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

3

Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
NewslettersMPW Daily

Big Oil gets its first female CEO as women quietly rise to the top of the energy industry

Emma Hinchliffe
By
Emma Hinchliffe
Emma Hinchliffe
Most Powerful Women Editor
Down Arrow Button Icon
Emma Hinchliffe
By
Emma Hinchliffe
Emma Hinchliffe
Most Powerful Women Editor
Down Arrow Button Icon
December 18, 2025, 12:26 PM ET
Woodside Energy CEO Meg O'Neill speaks while seated on the sidelines of an energy conference.
The Woodside Energy CEO will become the new chief executive of BP, making her the first female CEO of a Big Oil giant.Nicky Loh—Bloomberg/Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Big news in the energy world yesterday: Big Oil will get its first female CEO.

Recommended Video

Meg O’Neill will become the new CEO of BP, effective April 1, Fortune‘s energy editor Jordan Blum reports. She had been the CEO of Woodside Energy for four years and was a longtime vet of Exxon Mobil, where she became an executive adviser to Rex Tillerson.

BP, with $195 billion in annual revenue, ranks No. 33 on the Global 500 and No. 5 on the Fortune 500 Europe. It’s headquartered in London.

As O’Neill steps into the massive role, she’s facing a bit of a glass cliff scenario. O’Neill is the energy producer’s fourth CEO in six years. CEOs have been in and out for a variety of reasons; one, Bernard Looney, left after failing to disclose a relationship with a colleague. Current CEO Murray Auchincloss stepped in after that incident.

On the business side, Looney had tried to transform BP into a green energy giant, with mixed results. As one analyst put it: the company “rather kind of drank a bit too much Kool Aid on the whole energy transition and neglected its core businesses.”

Energy is an industry that already has a few women at the top. Vicki Hollub (No. 90 on the 2025 Most Powerful Women list) has been CEO of Occidental Petroleum since 2016, which made her the first woman to lead a major American oil company. However, Oxy isn’t considered a Big Oil “supermajor”—those are just BP, Shell, Exxon Mobil, Chevron and TotalEnergies. That’s the glass ceiling O’Neill is breaking.

Until O’Neill takes over, BP’s caretaker is also a female exec; Carol Howle, BP’s executive vice president for supply, trading and shipping is set to serve as interim CEO. Woodside’s replacement for O’Neill is also a woman—Liz Westcott, EVP and COO Australia, as interim CEO.

Emma Hinchliffe
emma.hinchliffe@fortune.com

The Most Powerful Women Daily newsletter is Fortune’s daily briefing for and about the women leading the business world. Subscribe here.

ALSO IN THE HEADLINES

If you want to understand NYC, you need to know Kathy Wylde. As CEO of the Partnership for New York City, Wylde wields sometimes quiet, but enormous, influence across the city. She's retiring soon. My former colleague Polina Pompliano has the definitive profile of her influence and legacy. The Profile

The woman from the Coldplay kiss cam speaks. Kristin Cabot says she has been called "a slut, a homewrecker, a gold digger, a side piece" and was doxxed, receiving 50 death threats and 500 calls a day for weeks. Cabot was going through a separation from her husband when she was caught on camera with her boss at Astronomer. "I want my kids to know that you can make mistakes, and you can really screw up. But you don’t have to be threatened to be killed for them," she says. NYT

NWSL contracts hit seven figures. Sophia Wilson's $1 million deal to return to the women's soccer league is the first deal to hit that number. As the league figures out how to hold onto the star players that power its rise, but have higher-dollar offers from clubs in Europe, it's a milestone. ESPN

Walmart makes trucking more appealing to women. Pay starting around $115,000, a buddy system for drivers on dangerous routes, and predictable schedules have all attracted women to the male-dominated profession and helped overcome a labor shortage. Bloomberg

ON MY RADAR

Hospitals don't always disclose C-section rates. We compiled our own data BI

‘Don’s best friend’: How Epstein and Trump bonded over the pursuit of women NYT

Will the Oscars make room for 'difficult' women? NYT

How Esther Perel became the modern relationship whisperer GQ

PARTING WORDS

"I’m really convinced that we cannot be good at something we don’t like doing."

— Claire Isnard, Chanel's retiring chief people and chief organization officer, on why she's a believer in following your passion

This is the web version of MPW Daily, a daily newsletter for and about the world’s most powerful women. Sign up to get it delivered free to your inbox.
About the Author
Emma Hinchliffe
By Emma HinchliffeMost Powerful Women Editor
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Emma Hinchliffe is Fortune’s Most Powerful Women editor, overseeing editorial for the longstanding franchise. As a senior writer at Fortune, Emma has covered women in business and gender-lens news across business, politics, and culture. She is the lead author of the Most Powerful Women Daily newsletter (formerly the Broadsheet), Fortune’s daily missive for and about the women leading the business world.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Newsletters

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Newsletters

Image of colored bar charts with one being pushed up.
NewslettersEye on AI
AI is minting billion-dollar companies faster than before
By Beatrice NolanJune 30, 2026
8 hours ago
Meet the only Black woman chair of the board in the Fortune 500
NewslettersMPW Daily
Meet the only Black woman chair of the board in the Fortune 500
By Emma HinchliffeJune 30, 2026
10 hours ago
The VCs betting founders need a village, not a blank check
NewslettersTerm Sheet
The VCs betting founders need a village, not a blank check
By Allie GarfinkleJune 30, 2026
14 hours ago
Gulf bond markets extend their rally despite uncertain outlook
NewslettersFortune Gulf Brief
Gulf bond markets extend their rally despite uncertain outlook
By Melissa HancockJune 30, 2026
15 hours ago
A close-up view of a woman wearing a striped shirt and jeans, sitting and using a smartphone with one hand in a casual setting.
NewslettersFortune Tech
U.S. Supreme Court limits use of ‘geofence’ warrants
By Andrew NuscaJune 30, 2026
16 hours ago
Why Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe wants his EV company to be compared to Apple, not Tesla
NewslettersCEO Daily
Why Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe wants his EV company to be compared to Apple, not Tesla
By Diane BradyJune 30, 2026
16 hours ago

Most Popular

Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place
Success
Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place
By Sydney LakeJune 29, 2026
1 day ago
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
Success
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
By Sydney LakeJune 25, 2026
6 days ago
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
Success
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
By Preston ForeJune 27, 2026
4 days ago
'Humanity has chosen to become idiots': This Brown professor switched to take-home exams after a mass shooting and discovered mass cheating
AI
'Humanity has chosen to become idiots': This Brown professor switched to take-home exams after a mass shooting and discovered mass cheating
By Catherina GioinoJune 29, 2026
1 day ago
The retired college professor fighting a $313 trespassing ticket in Wisconsin thinks he's part of a national struggle
Environment
The retired college professor fighting a $313 trespassing ticket in Wisconsin thinks he's part of a national struggle
By Catherina GioinoJune 28, 2026
3 days ago
The U.S. Army is opening military bases to private billions — here's why that changes everything for the next 250 years
Commentary
The U.S. Army is opening military bases to private billions — here's why that changes everything for the next 250 years
By Marc AndersenJune 30, 2026
13 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.