Holly Van Deursen serves as a non-executive director on four public boards, including for Actuant Corporation, Bemis Company, Inc., Capstone Turbine Corporation, and Synthomer. She served on the Petroleum Geo-Services ASA board from 2006 to 2018, and she also serves on the board of one private company, Anson Industries Inc. In her director roles, Holly has chaired one board and a number of committees, and she has been involved in all key facets of board work, including CEO succession and compensation, acquisitions, governance, strategy, and financial oversight. She has been active as an investor and advisor for start-up companies. Holly spent 24 years in the chemical and oil industry and held senior executive roles in North America, Asia, and Europe.

From 2001 to 2005, Holly was a member of the top-forty executive team of BP, a $250 billion oil, gas, and energy company. As a member of this team, she served in various executive groups addressing strategic issues across the BP Group and assuring delivery of operational results.

From 2001 to 2003, Holly was group vice president, strategy, the senior strategy role within the BP Group. From 2003 to 2005, she was group vice president, petrochemicals, for BP, where she was a member of an executive team accountable for the $20 billion petrochemical segment. As part of her director role, Holly was the executive sponsor for the human resource and functional aspects involved in separating the petrochemicals segment to prepare for BP’s exit of 60 percent via an initial public offering. She was the executive leader for four operating businesses generating $7 billion in revenue, as well as for four functions (human resources; diversity and inclusion; marketing, sales, and logistics; and environmental remediation ) accountable for establishing a strategy and delivering services for the $20 billion petrochemical segment.

Holly began her career with Dow Corning Corporation as a chemical engineer in design, manufacturing and technical service and development. After completing her master of business administration (MBA), she undertook roles with Amoco Corporation and BP in acquisitions and divestitures, business development, business management, business process re-engineering, business unit leadership, and strategy, and also serving as a group-level executive leader.

Holly has been on the boards of the China American Petrochemical Company, Samsung Petrochemical Company, and AGIC; Asian petrochemical joint ventures; and the American Chemistry Council and a not-for-profit school.

Holly holds a chemical engineering degree and an MBA. She lives outside Chicago in Oak Park, Illinois, and enjoys spending time with her daughters, Rebecca and Emily, and her husband, Craig.