26 May 2026
If you are covering the departure of BP’s Chair Albert Manifold due to ‘serious concerns related to important governance standards, oversight and conduct’, please find below a comment from Maurizio Carulli, global energy analyst at Quilter Cheviot:
“The announcement of Albert Manifold’s departure is certainly a surprise, albeit BP has had more than its fair share of senior personnel leaving the company abruptly over the past 20 years, including former CEOs Lord Browne, Tony Hayward, Bernard Looney and Murray Auchinchloss, albeit all with very different individual circumstances leading to their departure.
“Whilst the news is obviously a short-term negative, it is important to remember that BP has made significant operational improvements and strategic refocusing over the past year, and this is the result of the successful efforts of the entire organisation and its management, not just of one person. Furthermore, Albert Manifold had been Chair for only 8 months, so apart from being part of the Board’s decision to appoint new CEO Meg O’Neill, his impact was necessarily limited by the short period of time being in the role.
“It will now be important that the board of BP and its senior independent director, Amanda Blanc, implement a very thorough search for the new Chair, focusing particularly on both professional skills and personal characteristics, for each prospective candidate.”
