Cheryl McKinney

Vice President, Strategy and Portfolio, Fuels North America
BP

Why am I passionate about manufacturing? It supports growth and advancement of the US!

Cheryl’s career in the energy industry has spanned multiple continents and BP businesses. In recent years, she helped advance BP’s U.S. refining and marketing and has materially changed the company by executing BP’s re-entry in the U.S. retail convenience business, overhauling external reporting of BP during a time of transition, integrating operations during BP and Amoco’s merger, and providing technical and commercial leadership in refinery operations. Throughout her tenure, she has demonstrated a rare ability to see the big picture while focusing on the details.

For Cheryl, helping women succeed in the business she loves is second nature. She played a central role in designing the BP Women in STEM network, and as executive sponsor of its corporate Society of Women Engineers relationship she helped develop a network of Women in the STEM field within the company. Concerns about the network’s longevity led her to work with the BP Global Women’s Business Resource group to create a separate STEM development track within the group, BP WIN. This has resulted in allocated resourcing for the program.

Cheryl’s passion for diversity, inclusion and education drive her community commitment, starting with the university that launched her career. At the University of Akron, Cheryl has actively supported the Women in Engineering program, serving on the Advisory Council for nearly ten years. She also is completing her second term on the university’s Presidential Advisory Board, which provides external input as the university adapts its business model. In 2016, Cheryl set up an endowed scholarship program at Akron to benefit women enrolling in engineering studies. Her financial support has also helped fund events like Kids’ Career Day, where 350 female students in grades 1-6 participate in science activities.