BP has removed its chair, Albert Manifold, with immediate effect after the board expressed serious concerns about “important governance standards, oversight and conduct”. The FTSE 100 oil company announced the decision on Tuesday, just eight months after Manifold took the role.
Manifold’s departure caused BP’s share price to fall by up to 9% in early trading before closing 4% lower. Amanda Blanc, BP’s senior independent director, said the board was “surprised and disappointed” by the issues, which it deemed unacceptable, and had taken decisive action.
Reports suggest Manifold’s conduct was considered too aggressive by other directors, with some colleagues feeling belittled. He was also seen as trying to exert control in the manner of an executive rather than a chair. The newly appointed chief executive, Meg O’Neill, is said to have bristled at some of his interventions.
Manifold was appointed in October 2025 to oversee a strategic shift back to fossil fuels, after serving as CEO of Irish building materials firm CRH. He quickly ousted former CEO Murray Auchincloss and hired O’Neill in December. Manifold is the second senior BP leader to lose his job for conduct reasons in three years, following Bernard Looney’s departure in 2023.
BP has appointed Ian Tyler, a board member and former CEO of Balfour Beatty, as interim chair. Tyler expressed strong support for O’Neill, saying the board was “very impressed” with her clarity on the company’s direction. BP will now begin a search for its third chair in two years.
