It is no disrespect to Bob Dudley, the American who is about to become chief executive of BP, to note that were he British – or any other nationality – he probably would not be getting the job.
There is now a distinct possibility that BP will soon have not only an American chief executive but an American chairman too. Paul Anderson, a BP board member, has been mentioned as a possible successor to Carl-Henric Svanberg as non-executive chairman.
Mr Anderson, a former chief executive of both BHP Billiton and Duke Energy, was in the running to become BP chairman last year. As things turned out, it might have been useful to have him around.
BP, having alienated Congress and President Barack Obama, as well as the residents of the Gulf Coast, with the Deepwater Horizon spill, now desperately needs to regain credibility in the US. Given Mr Hayward’s mishaps, a good start is to adopt an American accent.
The New York Times had a nicely innocent quote this morning about Mr Dudley’s likely appointment from Amy Myers Jaffe, an energy expert at Rice University in Houston:
“It’s historic for them to pick an American. But it sends a message that merit and competency mean more than nationality.”
Well, no. That would have been the case if BP had chosen a French successor to Mr Hayward. Mr Dudley’s ascension sends the message that nationality matters desperately.
Related stories:
In depth: BP oil spill
Interactive: Hayward at BP
Editorial: Hayward’s end just first step for BP
