Executive shifts are a constant in the convenience store industry, and the industry welcomed the new year with a slew of leadership changes atop some of the largest companies in the space.
Last month, C-Store Dive covered about a dozen executive changes from around the industry at the vice president level or higher. With the industry continuously evolving and retailers looking for leaders who can help their companies tap into new capabilities, more changes are sure to come.
Here are six of the most notable c-store executive shifts that occurred in January.
Auchincloss takes BP’s top role
BP named Murray Auchincloss as its new CEO on Jan. 17, about four months after former leader Bernard Looney’s resignation. Auchincloss had been BP’s interim CEO since September.
Prior to becoming interim CEO last year, Auchincloss had served as BP’s CFO since July 2020. Before that, he was the company’s deputy CFO and head of business development for its upstream segment. From 2010 to 2013, he was head of BP’s group chief executive’s office, working directly with former CEO Bob Dudley.
Kate Thompson has since been appointed Auchincloss’ replacement as CFO.
Morhous reaches RaceTrac’s mountain top
RaceTrac’s board of directors promoted Natalie Morhous to CEO of the convenience store chain on Jan. 2. Morhous, who had been president of RaceTrac since 2019 and is a third-generation leader in the family-owned business, succeeded former CEO Max McBrayer, who left the company after 32 years for undisclosed reasons.
Morhous’ latest promotion at RaceTrac came after more than a decade spent with the company. As president, Morhous worked with McBrayer on RaceTrac’s business decisions and strategy development, including its acquisition of Gulf Oil.
Before taking the president role, Morhous served as RaceTrac’s director of strategy and development, executive director of strategy and solutions, and executive director as well as vice president of RaceTrac’s transportation arm, Energy Dispatch.
Warrenton Oil names new CEO and COO
Warrenton Oil, which operates around 60 FastLane convenience stores in central and eastern Missouri, named Mary Banmiller as its new CEO on Jan. 25. Banmiller — the company’s former senior director of retail operations — succeeded former leader Wayne Baker, who moved into an undisclosed “smaller role” with Warrenton.
Alongside Banmiller’s promotion, Warrenton named Dana Moloney, former director of finance, as its chief operating officer. Moloney has been with Warrenton since 2014 and has also worked in the company’s foodservice, transportation and finance departments.
Marathon splits its president and CEO roles
On Jan. 1, Marathon Petroleum named Maryann Mannen as its new company president, taking on the role that CEO Michael Hennigan had held since 2020. Hennigan remains Marathon’s CEO.
As president, Mannen oversees Marathon’s refining business and commercial performance, as well as its health, environment, safety and security functions. Mannen had been Marathon’s executive vice president and chief financial officer since 2021 and was succeeded in that role by John Quaid, who previously held the same title with Marathon’s MPLX division.
Pilot focuses on alternative fuels
Pilot Company named Shannon Sturgil as its new senior vice president of alternative fuels in mid January.
In his role, Sturgil oversees Pilot’s development of alternative energies and low-carbon solutions. He also helps shape Pilot’s sustainable energy transition, both for alternative fuel supply and implementing alternative fuel offerings within its travel center network.
Before taking this job, Sturgil held a variety of sales and marketing positions at sustainable energy supply firm Siemens. His most recent position with the company was as CEO of onshore North America with Siemens Gamesa, Siemens’ Spanish-German wind engineering subsidiary.
