Here are some facts about the 16th CEO in BP's 110-year history:

* Looney, 49, grew up in County Kerry, Ireland, and in 1991gained a degree in Electrical Engineering from UniversityCollege Dublin * He joined BP that year as a drilling engineer and workedin operational roles in the North Sea, Vietnam and the Gulf ofMexico, including as drilling engineer on the discovery of thegiant Thunder Horse field * After a stint with BP Alaska, he became head of the groupchief executive's office, working for BP chief executives JohnBrowne and then Tony Hayward * Looney became head of BP's upstream (oil and gasproduction) operations in February 2016, succeeding Lamar McKay * He has led BP through one of its periods of fastest growthof oil and gas production, which is up by around 20% since 2016 * Looney will succeed Dudley next February

(Reporting by Ron Bousso; editing by Jason Neely)

By Ron Bousso