Fuel injection for fresh energy
PROFILE: Priscillah Mabelane, CEO of BP Southern Africa
The first black woman CEO in SA’s petroleum industry takes up her post at a time when BP hopes to grow its market share in retailing
From attending primary school under a tree in Burgersfort to being appointed CEO of BP Southern Africa (BPSA), Priscillah Mabelane shows what is possible with intelligence, hard work and determination. “I didn’t have a 20-year plan, but I am ambitious, and I knew I wanted to end up in the C-suite,” she says. Appointed CEO of BPSA from September 1, Mabelane is the first female CEO in SA’s fuels industry. BPSA is a subsidiary of the BP Group, the multinational giant that employs more than 1,000 people and has 500 service stations in SA. It also has 45% of a commercial and industrial fuels marketing business with Masana Petroleum Solutions and a joint shareholding with Shell SA in the country’s largest fuel refinery, Sapref. Petite and elegantly dressed, Mabelane is not a CEO in the traditional mould. But she is eminently qualified for the role. She joined BPSA six years ago as CFO, so she understands the firm’s culture and the industry. Shortly before her interview with the Financial ...
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