Two top female executives at BP are leaving the company. This is the first major change to the company’s management structure since Chief Executive Bernard Looney, who abruptly resigned last year after it emerged he had failed to disclose an affair with a colleague.
Leanne Russell, BP’s chief technology and innovation officer, is leaving the company after 18 years, and Anjaisabelle Dotzenrath, who has been BP’s head of gas and low carbon since 2022, will step down, according to a statement. . .
The company said it is “simplifying our organizational structure,” which will “reduce duplication and reporting line complexity.”
BP said Mr Looney’s former chief of staff, Emeka Emenbolu, will replace Mr Russell, while William Lin will take over Mr Dotzenrath’s role.
The company’s executive team will be slimmed down, with leadership reduced from 11 to 10 people and the number of female executives reduced from six to five under Mr. Rooney.
Murray Auchincloss, who replaced Mr Rooney in January, said the move would “reduce complexity within BP” and help the company become “a simpler, more focused and higher value company”. ”, he said.
Rooney resigned in September and was denied a $40 million severance package after it was discovered that he had misled the company about his relationship with a co-worker before becoming CEO in 2020.
Mr Rooney joined the company as an engineer in 1991 and took up the role in February 2020 after a career at BP.
He was succeeded by former CFO Auchincloss on an interim basis in September. Auchincloss was confirmed as full-time CEO in January.
BP conducted an internal investigation in 2022 following allegations of personal relationships between Mr. Rooney and other company employees.
BP said during its review Mr Looney disclosed a “small number” of relationships that took place before he took over as CEO in February 2020, but the oil and gas giant did not breach internal rules. It turned out that this was the case.
The company said it recently opened a second investigation following further allegations of a similar nature.
BP said Mr Rooney resigned after acknowledging that he had “not been fully transparent in his disclosures to date”.
“We have strong values and the board expects everyone within the company to act in accordance with those values,” BP said.
“In particular, all leaders are expected to lead by example and use good judgment to earn the trust of others.”
with post wire
