THE PLAYBOOK INTERVIEW: GEOFF MORRELL
Geoff Morrell -- a veteran Washington operator -- is leaving the U.S. for London as he takes on a new role at BP as group head of communications and external affairs. Morrell will report to BP’s Group Chief Executive Bob Dudley. “It will be a big change for our family, but one we’re looking forward to,” D.C. native Morrell said of his upcoming move to London.
Morrell joined BP in 2011 as the company was facing a series of investigations and lawsuits related to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. His hire was widely seen as a signal that the company was taking a more aggressive approach inside the Beltway. Morrell joined the company after serving as deputy assistant secretary of defense for public affairs and Pentagon press secretary to Defense Secretary Robert Gates. Prior to that he covered the White House for ABC News. Mary Streett, a former Clinton administration official and regulatory attorney who has been at BP for the past three years, will take over for Morrell in Washington.
As he takes on this new role, Morrell said he is focused broadly on the changes in how people communicate. BP operates in nearly 80 countries around the world -- a vast, and complex canvas for a corporation. “We need to do government relations different in all of those places, but what is universal to them all is there is enormous changes underway in how we communicate and what’s expected from companies in terms of transparency and accountability and we need to keep pace. I think that is the biggest challenge our organization will face.”
Excerpts from the interview
THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION MORE WILLING TO ENGAGE: “There is no question that [the Trump administration’s] commitment to regulatory reform, regulatory relief to some degree, is welcomed by the oil and gas industry. We are not anti-regulation, but we also don’t believe that if you have more sensible regulations that that somehow is anti-environment. We think you can have sensible regulations that protect the environment and still promote investment in America … What we’ve seen from the administration thus far is a willingness to have conversations about how to strike that balance.”
COMPANIES SHOULD TALK, EVEN DURING LITIGATION: “A lot of companies may say, ‘This is being adjudicated in court. We’re going to do our speaking in court and refrain from doing so in the media.’ But I think that’s naive and fails to appreciate that they have shareholders and partners and contractors and employees who very much need to know what the company is thinking and doing on these issues. … I am a strong believer that you cannot bunker down and you have to communicate even during intense litigation. You can tell your story without putting yourself in greater legal jeopardy. It can and should be done.”
ADVERTISING MATTERS: “People are skeptical about the power of advertising today. It’s become almost as dirty a word as lobbying, but both of them are still alive and well because they work. When you you have messages to get out, stories to tell and the media is focused elsewhere, perhaps justifiably, often times paid advertising is the only way to communicate to your stakeholders. I’ve come to believe it is still a really important tool in your toolbox.”