BP appoints new CEO of Archaea Energy

BP has announced the appointment of Starlee Sykes as CEO of Archaea Energy, which BP acquired in December 2022.

Sykes previously served as the senior vice president of BP’s Gulf of Mexico and Canada businesses.

The acquisition expands BP’s presence in the United States’ bioenergy industry, enhancing its ability to support customers’ decarbonization goals. Houston-based Archaea is a leading U.S. renewable natural gas (RNG) producer that operates 50 RNG and landfill gas-to-energy facilities across the U.S., with a development pipeline creating an expected five-fold increase in RNG volumes by 2030.

“Bioenergy is one of five strategic transition growth engines BP wants to grow rapidly through this decade,” says David Lawler, president and chairman of BP America and chairman of Archaea. “With decades of experience on some of the most complex projects in the industry, there is no one more qualified or better positioned than Starlee to run this business and accelerate one of the largest and fastest RNG platforms in the U.S.”

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­Sykes has more than 25 years of leadership experience in the energy sector. Prior to her role in BP’s Gulf of Mexico and Canada businesses, she served as vice president for global offshore projects and vice president for global deepwater projects. Throughout her career, she has led diverse, international teams and is known for her values-based leadership. She also is a member of the BP America and the Greater Houston Partnership boards of directors. 

BP, which has U.S. offices in Houston and is headquartered in London, also announced that Andy Krieger will succeed Sykes as senior vice president, Gulf of Mexico and Canada. Krieger was previously senior vice-president, BP Wells where he’s been accountable for all drilling, completion and intervention activities across BP’s eight operating regions across the globe. Prior to assuming this role, he was the vice president of wells for the Gulf of Mexico and vice president of technical functions, a position in which he was responsible for providing integrated support to the wells teams across the globe.

“Andy has had an exemplary career at BP,” says BP Executive Vice President of Production and Operations Gordon Birrell. “He brings a deep and vast knowledge of global deepwater projects and understands the Gulf of Mexico and Canada regions extremely well. His focus on safe operations and the safety of our people is unparalleled.” 

The appointment of Starlee Sykes is effective immediately, and Krieger will assume duties May 1.