New BP boss to replace Bernard Looney could be external hire, says chairman

BP is under pressure to assure the markets of its succession plans after the shock exit of Looney. Photograph: Kacper Pempel/Reuters

The BP chairman, Helge Lund, has started the hunt for a new boss to replace Bernard Looney, which could lead to the oil giant’s first external chief executive hire for decades.

The chairman told BP staff in a webcast on Wednesday that he had begun the process of appointing a new chief executive and would consider hiring company outsiders to the role.