When BP went looking for a new chief executive last year, the British oil company did something it almost never does — it hired an outsider.
Meg O’Neill, the no-nonsense chief executive of Australia’s Woodside Energy, was handpicked by BP chair Albert Manifold to right the company after its disastrous pivot to green energy. As the first woman to lead a top-five oil major, she stood out among her peers.
Investors hoped she and Manifold would return BP to its roots as a hydrocarbons company. This week, however, Manifold’s time as chair came to an abrupt end after the board, including O’Neill, voted unanimously to fire him. Manifold faces allegations of aggressive behaviour towards colleagues that some claim amounted to “bullying”. He has characterised claims against him as “lies”.