Alaska's oilfield leaders: a personal look at the presidents of ConocoPhillips and BP.

• Author: Orr, Vanessa
• Position: Oil & Gas

It takes a unique person to become a leader in the oil industry, especially in Alaska. In addition to being savvy businesspeople, those who earn the top positions in the 49th state are often skilled engineers, experienced operators and avid outdoorsmen. Two such individuals are John Minge of BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc., who is just beginning his Alaska journey, and Jim Bowles of Conoco Phillips, who recently returned to the field after a brief stint in retirement.

JOHN MINGE, PRESIDENT, BP EXPLORATION ALASKA

On Jan. 1, John Minge (pronounced Min-jay) became president of BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc. The former president of BP Indonesia and head of BP's Asia Pacific unit, Minge replaced Doug Suttles, who is now the chief operating officer of BP's global exploration and production business.

Born and raised in Bellingham, Wash., Minge first got into the oil business in 1983, after graduating from Washington State University with a degree in mechanical engineering. "I joined Sohio Petroleum Company at the age of 22, and I've worked my entire career for Sohio/BP," said Minge, who has held a number of engineering, operations and management roles within the company.

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Minge got his start as a drilling engineer in the Gulf of Mexico before moving on to manage deepwater assets in the North Atlantic. He served as president of exploration and production for Vietnam and China before taking up responsibilities for BP's exploration and production assets in Asia Pacific.

In these roles, Minge helped to move the company forward while also helping local residents develop the skills needed to work for a global company. "I believe that it's important to be a good neighbor," said Minge, who has worked in the United States, United Kingdom, Vietnam and Indonesia. "We do this by helping to build the skills of the local work force, including those of Vietnam, China and Indonesia, so that they can benefit from the long-term jobs created by our company."

While he accomplished many things as head of BP's Asia Pacific unit, Minge said that he is most proud of being able to progress the growth of BP's gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) business in Indonesia and Australia, and of helping to deliver the two-production train Tangguh LNG project in Papua, New Guinea, Indonesia. The Tangguh project, which is expected to start up this year, will provide product to customers in China, Korea and North America. When fully operational, the site will employ...