Who owns BP? Tens of thousands of people all over the world, own BP. BP is a publically owned company, as is most of the top investers in BP, such as Microsoft, several banks, etc etc. The boards of these public companies are elected by the shareholders.
Anyone who has managed share portfolios, may be investing in BP themselves. Superannuation funds in my own country invest in these companies, as they are high profit shares.
Many people are investing their money into these companies, and many may not even be aware that they are.