Rupert Bondy
Group general counsel
BP
Few general counsel are as well-known outside their industry as Rupert Bondy at BP – he is a clear example of a legal director that operates in a secretarial rather than a GC role.
Following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, Bondy oversaw the company’s risk management strategy, effectively steering its emergency response from the beginning of the crisis through to the eventual financial settlement.
Although originally a corporate lawyer – Bondy began his career in the M&A department at Morrison & Foerster and then Lovells before moving to SmithKline Beecham in 1995 – he has demonstrated that he is more than adept at managing the legal function from a contentious angle.
‘Rupert must have faced the toughest challenges of any GC and has expertly applied both his oil industry knowledge and judgement for BP,’ says one leading energy partner.
Law firms used: CMS Cameron McKenna, Field Fisher Waterhouse, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Herbert Smith Freehills, Linklaters, McGrigors, Norton Rose, Olswang
2008-present: Group general counsel, BP
2001-08: Senior vice president and general counsel, GlaxoSmithKline
1995-2001: Senior corporate counsel, SmithKline Beecham