BP lures GC from British Gas to head ‘downstream’

The role will see Morris head the legal team for the energy giant’s entire ‘downstream’ operation, which is distinct from the company’s ‘upstream’ exploration and production division.

Morris spent two years as general counsel at Centrica-owned British Gas, the downstream part of the business, having come across from parent company Centrica in 2007. He joined Centrica in 2002 as the company’s corporate centre legal head before his team merged with the British Gas legal department.

Morris, who also sits on the executive management committee of BP’s refining and marketing arm, is one of two associate general counsel who sit beneath global group general ­counsel Rupert Bondy.

Bondy was a 2008 ­capture from GlaxoSmith-Kline (GSK) following the retirement of previous head of legal Peter Bevan.

A BP lifer, Bevan spent nearly 40 years in the company’s legal team, having joined in 1970. He became group general ­counsel in 1992 and was appointed executive vice-president in 1998.
In turn, British Gas has appointed Melanie Rowlands as its new general counsel. She will take up the role on 8 February.

Rowlands joins from Edwards Vacuum, where she was group director of legal, compliance and HR. ­Previously she was general counsel for Europe, the ­Middle East and Africa
at gases and engineering ­company Linde Group.

Adam Ramsey has been named as the new legal director at Edwards Vacuum.