Rishi Dorai, bp

For seven years, Rishi worked as a geologist in bp’s exploration businesses on projects across Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Encouraged by the role of large corporations in driving innovative solutions, Rishi was keen to explore the new challenges within bp, while in search of his own purpose. It was the perfect time for his introduction to One Young World.

bp provided Rishi with the opportunity to attend the 2017 Bogotá Summit. The inspiration from this global forum of leaders has since helped Rishi find his own purpose and shaped many aspects of his life and career. It reinvigorated his belief in the role of global organisations in driving positive impact and serving as amplifiers for social change. Since that first Summit, Rishi has returned each year, further honing how sustainability can align with his work.

Testament to bp’s support of its One Young World Ambassadors at an executive level, Rishi’s association with the programme opened doors in the company. With fellow Ambassador Kate Arbuthnot, Rishi was invited to participate in bp’s carbon strategy workshops. Together, they provided the perspectives of an emerging generation of young leaders in a room of industry veterans. The experience built Rishi’s confidence in his own voice and helped him form relationships with highly influential leaders at the forefront of the energy transition.
This experience led to Rishi being seconded into bp’s group strategy team in the summer of 2019. There he was tasked with developing a global portfolio model of bp’s Scope 1, 2, and 3 carbon emissions, the latter incorporating emissions associated with the use of energy products by its customers. Paired with solutions for emissions reductions, this was presented to bp executives, and ultimately landed Rishi a permanent role in the team. As part of Bernard Looney’s transition into his role as bp’s new CEO in late 2019, Rishi was invited to join a special project team tasked with developing the company’s route to net-zero along with a strategy to turn this ambition into action. It was a ground-breaking move – bp was the first in its sector to announce a net-zero ambition and lean into the energy transition at this scale.

It was this spirit of leveraging a company as an amplifier for positive impact that enabled Rishi to find himself in a role that not only changed the course of his company, but trailblazed a path for industry-wide impact, with many of bp’s peers since following suit.

Rishi was appointed to the role of ESG Director in Strategy & Sustainability, where he continues to play an active role in bp’s sustainability journey. Alongside this, Rishi was announced as One Young World’s Coordinating Ambassador for the UK & Ireland, where he keeps Ambassadors engaged and connected, providing a springboard from which to progress their own impact journeys.

“My One Young World experiences inspired a stubborn determination that I needed to find a way to connect my purpose with that of what I do at work. Moreover, it helped me realise that – with the resources, reach and support of a global organisation behind you – you really do have the power to change the world.”