British Petroleum Hires GM North America CIO Dana Deasy

Dana Deasy is joining British Petroleum (BP) on October 1 as its CIO and group vice president of the company’s IT function, Digital and Communications Technology (DCT). He will report to BP CFO Byron Grote and will be based in London. Deasy is currently wrapping up an 18 month tenure with General Motors where he has been serving as CIO of GM North America. His last day is September 14. Deasy joined the auto-maker in May 2006.

Deasy says he learned of the opportunity with BP through MWM Consulting, an executive search firm that BP retained to find a CIO. MWM contacted Deasy about the position, and he says he couldn’t ignore a call from a search firm representing a company he’s always admired. “When an opportunity like this comes up, it’s one you have to take a serious look at,” says Deasy. He adds that his move to BP had nothing to do with wanting to leave GM. “I had no intention of leaving GM,” he says, adding that it will be difficult to leave Ralph Szygenda and the IS&S organization.  

What attracted Deasy to the position with BP was the chance to work for a large, complex, global company in what Deasy considers a fascinating industry. Complicated, international companies seem to be Deasy’s bread and butter. Prior to GM, he was the global CIO of Tyco, which he joined in 2003 when the company was trying to rebuild itself after the corporate scandals. He took the global CIO job with Tyco after working for another global company, Siemens, for four years as a regional CIO. When Tyco split up in 2006, Deasy’s position as global CIO was no longer needed, and the job at GM came up soon after. Says Deasy of his career path, “Every one of these jobs has been a significant stepping stone.”

Personally, I can’t wait to see where the position with BP leads Deasy, who is arguably one of the most sought-after CIOs. But I may have to wait several years before I find out what Deasy does next. He says he intends to stay at BP a while.