Bio

Geoff Morrell is a public affairs leader who has spent 30 years navigating the intersection of media, politics, government and business. Geoff most recently served as Senior Executive Vice President & Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at The Walt Disney Company. This was a newly created role responsible for designing, building and leading a globally-integrated team across communications, public policy, government relations, community engagement and ESG issues management. Prior to Disney, Geoff spent ten years with bp, including five at the company’s London headquarters. From 2017 to 2022, he served as Executive Vice President of Communications & Advocacy. Geoff oversaw all of bp’s communications, government relations and external affairs. As a member of the Executive team, Geoff played a key role in designing and launching an ambitious strategy to transform the legacy oil and gas supermajor into an integrated energy company. Prior to his time in London, Geoff was based in Washington, DC, where from 2013 to 2017 he led bp’s U.S. Communications & External Affairs team. He began his career at bp two years earlier as Head of U.S. Communications. During those first five years with bp, Geoff was instrumental in helping to rehabilitate the company’s reputation in America after the Deepwater Horizon accident. Geoff came to bp from the Department of Defense, where he served four years as Pentagon Press Secretary. In that position, Geoff acted as chief spokesman for Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and the United States military. He was appointed by President George W. Bush in 2007 and, in an unprecedented move, was reappointed by President Barack Obama in 2009. For his service to both administrations during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Geoff received the Distinguished Public Service Medal, the highest award the Department of Defense can give to a political appointee. Prior to joining the government, Geoff was a White House correspondent for ABC News. He spent seven years at the network in Chicago, Washington and Jerusalem and eight years prior to that reporting for local television stations across the country. Geoff is a graduate of Georgetown University and received his master’s degree in Journalism from Columbia University. He is also a member of the Georgetown University Board of Regents, The National Council of The White House Historical Association and the Board of Directors of The American Ditchley Foundation.