ABSTRACT
BP has Anglo-Australian-Parisian-Scottish-Canadian-Burmese-Persian roots, and connections to Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher, Baron de Reuter and (tenuously) to Jane Austen. There had been various attempts to discover oil in Persia, including two expeditions by Baron de Reuter, the founder of Reuters. These had foundered, partly for political reasons. In the 1970s and 1980s there was a programme of diversification which included the creation of BP Minerals, BP Coal, BP Nutrition and BP Ventures. In October 1987 the UK Government decided to sell its remaining 31.7 per cent stake in BP. This involved offering the shares at a discounted price to existing shareholders. BP acquired Britoil in 1988, and focused on the core businesses of exploration, marketing and refining, and petrochemicals. Judith had practised as a barrister and worked as a legal academic in New Zealand. She joined BP in 1975, nine years after she qualified, so was unusual amongst BP senior management in having had a significant business life before BP.
