The World Affairs Council of Greater Houston is pleased to present bp’s Starlee Sykes as a 2021 International Citizen of the Year, a distinction of Houston’s 23rd Annual Jesse H. Jones Award Luncheon.
Starlee Sykes
Starlee Sykes is the Senior Vice President for the Gulf of Mexico and Canada, one of the largest deep water businesses in the world.
Starlee has over 20 years of leadership experience in the energy sector. Prior to her current roles, she served as Vice President for Global Offshore Projects and Vice President for Global Deepwater Projects. Starlee led the creation of the first global subsea solutions business and has been a strong proponent of standardized industry solutions and improving collaboration with industry partners. Throughout her career, Starlee has led diverse international teams solving some of the industry’s most complex operational and project development challenges.
Starlee is Chairman of the Board of Directors of bp Exploration & Production and is a member of the bp America and bp Midstream Partners Board of Directors. She is bp’s representative on the API Upstream Committee and the Executive Committee of the National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) and recently finished her term on the Center for Offshore Safety Board of Directors. She is also on the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee for the Greater Houston Partnership.
Starlee is active in the community through her roles with Million Women Mentors, President of the Board of Trustees for Spindletop Charities, and the United Way.
Starlee earned her Mechanical Engineering degree from Texas A&M University where she serves as a member of the university’s Industry Advisory Board for the Engineering College and is a founding executive committee member of the Aggie Women Engineers Network. She was a 2020 College of Engineering Texas A&M Outstanding Alumni award recipient.
Starlee lives in Houston, TX with her husband and three sons. She enjoys outdoor activities, cooking, and travel.