Akira Kirton is a purpose & values driven leader, with a huge passion for diversity and sustainability. Akira
has had a broad career spanning commercial, business development, venture capital, strategy & innovation roles in the sustainable energy & chemicals sectors.

Akira is Vice President of Special Projects & Integration for bp's Gas & Low Carbon Energy Division. In this role Akira leads on transformation initiatives across bp’s Gas & Low Carbon Energy (G&LCE) segment, reporting to the Executive Vice President. bp's G&LCE portfolio includes global natural gas businesses, along with growth in low carbon businesses and markets including renewable power, hydrogen, CCS and other new vectors.

Prior to this role, Akira was CEO of bp pulse UK - bp's electric vehicle charging business in the UK. Akira also led the strategy and business development teams for bp pulse ahead of taking on the CEO role.

Akira has prior experience in working in bp's chemicals division, as Vice President of Global Acetyls. In this role, he had full commercial & operational accountability for Acetyls Globally (~$2.5bn business). His business was at the forefront of fighting CV-19, with product sales going into key sectors such as pharmaceuticals (ibuprofen, paracetamol, insulin) and powder detergents. Akira had accountability for 9 operational sites across US, Europe & Asia (Korea, Malaysia, & 6 China JV's).

Akira was also Commercial Director for the European Acetyls business. In this role, Akira led on programmes in sustainability, agile, and digital for the business – particular Zero-Carbon Humber, WEF Low Carbon Chemicals Biomass Group, and Acetylated Wood (Tricoya). Akira was bp's Board Director for Tricoya Technologies (sustainable wood production), having structured & led the investment/spin-out from Accsys plc in 2014/15.

Across 2012-17, Akira was Managing Director for bp Ventures Europe & Asia, growing the portfolio to $500m capital invested, having led a number of game-changing deals in green manufacturing, CO2 to chemicals, mobility & digital. Akira was Portfolio Director & Board Director for the green manufacturing sector, with board roles with Fulcrum Bioenergy (waste to biojet), Solidia (low carbon cement/concrete products), Tricoya (acetylated wood), Liquid Light (CO2 to chemicals), CarbonFree Chemicals (CO2 to bicarbonates), StoreDot (ultra-fast charging batteries); and originated and led the structuring for the OGCI CI ($1bn climate fund).

Akira has experience in the public sector and was seconded to the UK Energy Technologies Institute ($1b UK Gov backed climate change/sustainability fund) for three years. He sat on the UK Chief Scientific Advisor’s Group on Bioenergy and was Director for Strategy for Biomass and Distributed Energy; developing the priorities to 2050 for >$1trn in investment focus.

External Profile: Akira is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce; World Economic Forum Young Global Leader (2015-20); A Fellow of the Marshall Memorial Foundation 2012; and won the 2008 IChemE Award for Innovation.