Andrew Mackenzie (businessman)
Andrew Mackenzie | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 20, 1956 Kirkintilloch, Scotland |
| Occupation | Business executive |
| Known for | Chairman of Shell plc, former CEO of BHP |
Sir Andrew Stewart Mackenzie (born 20 December 1956) is a prominent Scottish executive, currently serving as the chairman of Shell plc. He previously held the position of CEO at BHP, recognized as the largest mining corporation globally. Mackenzie took over the CEO role from Marius Kloppers on 10 May 2013 and was succeeded by Mike Henry in early 2020.
Early life
Born in December 1956, Andrew Stewart Mackenzie was raised in Kirkintilloch, Scotland. He graduated with first-class honours in geology from the University of St Andrews in 1977 and completed his doctorate in organic chemistry at the University of Bristol in 1981.
Career
Mackenzie started his professional journey as a postdoctoral research fellow with the British Geological Society and later became a Humboldt fellow at the Nuclear Research Centre located in Jülich, Germany. Before moving into the corporate sector, he authored more than 50 scientific publications.
In 1983, he joined the research division of BP, progressing through various roles including positions within BP Finance and eventually leading capital markets. After a 22-year tenure, he departed BP holding the title of group vice-president petrochemicals.
April 2004 marked his entry into Rio Tinto as chief executive of the industrial minerals division. By June 2007, he advanced to CEO of diamonds & minerals.
Between 2005 and June 2008, Mackenzie served as a trustee for the think tank Demos.
Following an unsuccessful takeover attempt for Rio Tinto, BHP Billiton’s CEO Marius Kloppers recruited Mackenzie in 2007. He was appointed chief executive of non-ferrous operations at BHP Billiton in November 2008 and succeeded Kloppers as CEO in May 2013. His total remuneration for 2014 amounted to $7.1 million. On 1 January 2020, Mike Henry replaced him as BHP’s CEO.
In March 2021, Mackenzie was named chairman of [[[Shell plc|Shell]], with his term commencing in May that year.
He was also appointed Chair of UK Research and Innovation in June 2021, taking over from Sir John Kingman.
Awards and honours
In 2014, Mackenzie was inducted as a fellow of the Royal Society. His nomination recognized him as one of the leading applied earth scientists worldwide, particularly for his foundational work in geochemistry and petroleum formation. Throughout his career, he has been a key figure in driving innovation within both technical and business domains across BP, Rio Tinto, and BHP Billiton.
He received a knighthood in the 2020 Birthday Honours for his contributions to business, science, technology, and fostering relations between the UK and Australia.
Personal life
Fluent in five languages, Mackenzie met his wife Liz Allan during their time at Saint Andrews. The couple has two daughters.