Online Extra: Q&A with BP's John Leggate
The energy giant's digital-business VP makes every possible connection in his quest to make the company live on the Web
This article is for subscribers only.
John Leggate's nickname is "Shiny Brains." The hard-driving engineer is BP's group vice-president for digital business, the architect of the oil giant's ambitious Internet investments. Leggate has pushed BP to promote Web technology in every area of its activities -- from oil exploration in the North Sea to selling gasoline to consumers in North Dakota.
It's a huge job for a company with $150 billion in annual sales and 100,000 employees spread all over the globe. Sometimes, Leggate admits he has pushed too far, too fast, and is forced to scale back or slow down his plans. But BP remains convinced that the Net can transform even this greasiest of heavy industries.