London, United Kingdom, January 2026 – James Astin has been appointed as Vice President – People & Culture, Aviation and Biofuels Growth at bp. In this global leadership role, he will lead people strategy, workforce transformation and organizational capability development across bp’s fast-growing aviation fuels and biofuels businesses, critical to the company’s low-carbon transition.
James Astin brings over a decade of progressive global HR leadership experience within bp. He most recently served as VP People & Culture (Interim) – Hydrogen & CCS (Global) and earlier as VP People & Culture – Offshore Wind (Global), where he played a pivotal role in building people strategy and operating models for bp’s renewable and low-carbon growth platforms.
Earlier, James led global people transformation as People & Culture Director – Hydrogen & CCS (Global) and Global Transformation Project Manager, supporting enterprise change programs. His prior HR leadership roles included HR Manager – Sales, Marketing and Retail, HR Manager – Whiting Refinery, Chief of Staff to the CHRO, and HR Business Partner – Finance & Trading Functions, providing him with a strong blend of corporate, commercial and operations HR leadership.
He has also served as a Programme Manager & Ambassador for One Young World, contributing to global youth leadership and social impact initiatives.
About bp
bp is a global integrated energy company delivering energy to the world today while investing in low-carbon energy solutions that support the transition to a more sustainable energy future.
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