Leigh-Ann Russell

Scottish engineer

Leigh-Ann Russell (born April 1975) FREng FRSE is a Scottish engineer. She has worked as an executive at the petroleum company BP, where was Executive Vice President of Innovation & Engineering until she resigned in 2024.

Biography

Leigh-Ann Russell was educated at the University of Aberdeen, where she obtained her Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering.[1] Her career in engineering began in the late 1990s, beginning as an executive at the service company Schlumberger.[2] Russell joined the energy company BP, where she served as Engineering Manager and Operations Manager for the North Sea and as Global Vice President of Technical Functions.[1] In June 2020, amidst supply chain issues during the COVID-19 pandemic, Russell publicly objected to the practice of mailing letters to companies demanding cost reduction, saying that waste reduction was a more productive alternative.[3] Russell was promoted from head of procurement and supply chain management to senior vice president of procurement on 1 July 2020.[3] On 1 March 2022, Russell was promoted to Executive Vice President of Innovation & Engineering; that position is equivalent to the roles associated with chief digital officer, chief scientific officer, and chief technology officer.[1] She resigned from bp in 2024 to pursue another career.

Outside of engineering, she also serves as a non-executive director for the manufacturing company Hill & Smith.[4]

Russell was elected Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2019.[5] She was elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 2022.[4] She was also made an honorary Professor of Practice at Queen's University Belfast in 2022.[1] She is also a Fellow of the Energy Institute and a Chartered Petroleum Engineer.[4]

Russell is from Aberdeen.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Leigh-Ann Russell". bp.com. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  2. ^ "Leigh-Ann Russell". Women of Silicon Roundabout. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  3. ^ a b c Lammey, Mark (29 June 2020). "'Disrespectful' to send letters to suppliers demanding cost cuts, BP procurement chief says". Energy Voice. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  4. ^ a b c "Ms Leigh-Ann Russell". Royal Society of Edinburgh. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  5. ^ "Fellows Directory". raeng.org.uk. Retrieved 28 December 2023.