John Browne

John Browne, Baron Browne of Madingley, is a British businessman and a crossbench member of the House of Lords. Browne was the chief executive of BP between 1995 and 2007. This period has been described as the company's "golden period of expansion and diversification". During his tenure, Browne oversaw the mergers with Amoco and ARCO and gained access to Russian oil reserves with the creation of TNK-BP.[citation needed] Nicknamed the "Sun King" for his management style, he was also praised for transforming the oil and gas industry's approach to climate change, and for creating a renewable and alternative energy business within BP.[citation needed] He resigned from BP in May 2007 in controversial circumstances surrounding his personal life and sexuality.[citation needed] He is a former president of the Royal Academy of Engineering (2006 to July 2011), and has served on the boards of Goldman Sachs, Intel and Daimler Benz. He joined the House of Lords in 2001. Browne is a former partner at Riverstone Holdings, where he was co-head of its renewable energy private equity fund. He received his undergraduate education at the University of Cambridge and later attended Stanford University. Browne is a candidate in the 2025 University of Cambridge Chancellor election.