BP Removes New Chair Over Governance, Conduct Concerns – ESG Today

UK-based power big bp introduced on Tuesday that it has eliminated recently-appointed Chair Albert Manifold, following “severe considerations raised to the Board associated to vital governance requirements, oversight and conduct.”

The announcement comes solely months after Manifold’s appointment as Chair in October 2025, and provides to a sequence of adjustments within the high ranks on the firm, following the departure of CEO Murray Auchincloss in December. Auchincloss took over the place from Bernard Looney, who held the CEO position from 2020 to 2023, and resigned after failing to reveal relationships with colleagues. Bp’s new CEO, Meg O’Neill, formally took over the position final month.

Manifold was appointed by the board following a major shift in technique by the corporate in early 2025, reversing earlier plans to cut back oil and fuel manufacturing over time whereas rising investments in low carbon power sources. The brand new technique contains reallocating capital to extend oil and fuel funding and lowering low carbon power to lower than 5% of the corporate’s capex allocation.

Amanda Blanc, Senior Impartial Director at bp, mentioned:

“Albert has helped carry a welcome focus and tempo to bp’s transformation. Nonetheless, the board has been shocked and dissatisfied to be taught of governance oversight and conduct points it deems unacceptable and has taken decisive motion.”

Manifold confronted his first shareholder vote as Chair at bp’s AGM in April, and notably solely acquired the help of round 82% of shareholders. Shareholders on the AGM additionally defeated resolutions that may have enabled the corporate to get rid of some climate-related disclosures, and to carry digital AGMs going ahead. The shareholder motion adopted a marketing campaign by local weather activist group Comply with This and several other institutional buyers, after bp had refused to incorporate a decision filed by the group requesting that the corporate disclose a method for creating shareholder worth beneath eventualities of declining oil and fuel demand.