Rob Cowley sadly passed away on 13 March 2024 aged 98. His son, Andrew Cowley, kindly provided us with a summary of Rob’s 34 years’ service at BP, from starting as an assistant chemist in Sunbury in 1947, to becoming General Manager of the Computer Systems Department, a post which he held from 1976 until his retirement in 1981.
Andrew writes: ‘After graduating and service in the Royal Navy as a Radar Officer, Rob joined the Company in 1947 as an Assistant Chemist at Sunbury. From Sunbury he was posted to M.I.S. Iran to carry out work in connection with gas/oil separation and, in 1951, returned to the Research Centre after the exodus from Iran.
‘In 1953, Rob was seconded as a Petroleum Technologist/Adviser to the Directorate of Supplies and Transport at the War Office and during his two years there, was involved in the NATO Lubricants Standardization Working Party amongst other things. Upon his return to the company in 1955, he was posted to the Refineries Department and in 1958 was attached to the Gulf Oil Corporation in the US where he studied the various aspects of the American Oil Industry.
‘On his return to London in 1960, Rob was posted to the Refineries Continental Division before transferring to Production Control at the time of rapid development in the integrated programming of refineries by computer. Following an extended duty assignment to Aden Refinery in 1963, he was appointed Manager of the Production Control Division and in 1967 he became Assistant Works Manager (Operations) at Llandarcy Refinery.
‘Towards the end of 1968, Rob joined the Manpower Study Group which made recommendations for the re-organisation of the top structure of the company. Two years later, he was transferred to the Central Development Planning Department as an Assistant General Manager at a time when the concept of the Group Plan was beginning to change. He returned to the Management Consultancy Group as its Head in 1973.
‘In 1976, Rob became General Manager of the Computer Systems Department, the post he held until his retirement in 1981. During his last years with the company, he was engaged in laying the foundations for the newly established Information Systems Administration within the Corporate Head Office.
‘After retirement, Rob and his wife Joan, to whom he was married for 65 years, moved to Devon and took up farming for nearly 20 years before settling in Chudleigh in their latter years.’
