Paula A. Banks

Paula Banks is Vice President of Global Social Investment at BP, one of the world's largest energy companies. Banks works to advance the integration of business objectives with societal issues on a global scale, partnering with more than 155 BP business unit leaders operating on six continents in more than 100 countries. Banks provides leadership to the company's senior management on strategic direction of social investments, resulting in sustainable human progress in locations where BP operates. She has management oversight of an annual budget of more than $100 million and has staffs in London, Chicago, Los Angeles and Cleveland.

Banks joined BP in 1996 after more than 24 years with Sears, Roebuck and Co. Banks' varied career at Sears included positions such as Director of Public Relations; Human Resources Director; Manager, Labor Relations; and Store Operations and Merchandising Manager.

Banks serves on the Board of Fisk University, a historically Black college and university and is the immediate past president of the Executive Leadership Council (ELC), an organization that works to ensure business opportunity for future generations of African American corporate executives. Additionally, she serves on the corporate advisory board of The Conference Board.

Most recently, Harvard University has honored Paula Banks as an outstanding alumnus. Girls, Inc. has recognized her for professional and personal commitment to corporate social responsibility.

A native of Chicago, Banks is a graduate of Loyola University with post-graduate study at the University of Illinois. She is also a graduate of the International Advanced Management Program at Harvard University.