Building Bridges
50 Years in Business
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Nine Elms Books
Published:1st Mar '25
Should be back in stock very soon

It was lucky for both BP and Dick Olver that he changed his mind after initially declining their job offer. Thirty years later he had become one of the multinational oil and gas company's most respected and talented managers - rising to be deputy chief executive. As Building Bridges recounts, along the way he had crossed many bridges - some over very troubled waters.
After leaving BP, Dick's remarkable career didn't stop there. He was appointed chairman of Britain's leading international defence contractor BAE Systems at a critical time when a steady new hand on the tiller was required to steer the company through to the next delicate stages of development - salvaging its reputation and ensuring its emergence as one of the biggest defence companies in the world.
Never one to stand still, his business and philanthropic activities have continued apace with new ventures - particularly guiding emergent companies.
Dick's great skill of getting the very best out of people and teams comes through with the fascinating details in this compelling autobiography.
"Olver is a modest man. But he has little reason to be modest about what he did" Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles KCMG LVO (Former diplomat)
"Dick is a gifted businessman. But it was his ability to inspire people around the world - no matter their background or their role - that made him different. It was - magical!" Bernard Looney (Former CEO BP)
"A rare opportunity to read a personal story of extraordinary breadth of experience, including some personal crises along the way. And everywhere, the author's personal belief in the importance of individuals and empathy shines through." Sir John A Manzoni KCB (Former BP Executive and Cabinet Office Permanent Secretary (2014-2020))
"Everyone who reads this autobiography will find its contents fascinating and I certainly did so. During his career, Dick demonstrated that he had the qualities that are required by the leader of huge companies operating around the globe. He certainly succeeded." The Rt Hon Lord Woolf, CH (Former Lord Chief Justice and President of the Courts of England & Wales)
ISBN: 9781910533789
Dimensions: 234mm x 153mm x 21mm
Weight: 520g