Cynthia Warner

Cynthia (CJ) Warner joined Sapphire Energy in February 2009 as President. Ms. Warner was named Chairman in May of 2010 and CEO in April of 2012. She brings more than 27 years of experience in the energy, refining and transportation industries. At Sapphire Energy, Ms. Warner is leading the company’s ongoing technology development and transition into commercial-scale crude oil operations. During Ms. Warner’s tenure at Sapphire Energy, she has played an integral role in securing government financing, Sapphire Energy’s series C investment funding, and the successful design, construction, and startup of the Integrated Algal Biorefinery (IABR).

A chemical engineer by training and one of the very few senior women in the oil and gas industry, Ms. Warner served as an executive with energy industry giants British Petroleum, Amoco Oil Company and UOP. Ms. Warner is currently a member of the National Petroleum Council. Prior to joining Sapphire, she most recently served as Group Vice President, Global Refining for BP where she was instrumental in turning around BP’s US refining business and achieving record performance in International refining. During her 10-year career with BP she held numerous leadership roles including overseeing refining operations in five continents and developing long-term technology strategies for low carbon and sustainable fuels. Ms. Warner led the groundbreaking cooperative effort with the US EPA to shape a framework for Clean Air improvements which was eventually signed on by the entire US Refining industry.

Ms. Warner began her career at UOP where she had significant hands-on experience learning refining process operations. That was followed by several years at Amoco where she held key operational leadership roles. She is a featured leader in the 2008 book ‘Becoming a Resonant Leader: Develop Your Emotional Intelligence′ (Harvard Business School Press).

Ms. Warner has a BS degree in Chemical Engineering from Vanderbilt University and an MBA from Illinois Institute of Technology.