He's been the focus of criticism for months. His future is uncertain since oil began gushing out from a damaged BP rig off the coast of Louisiana. Now the man, criticized for his handling, one of the world's worst oil spills, is set to leave. BP admits it's time for change at the top and that means the demise of CEO Tony Hayward.
Tony Hayward's poor record on safety and reliability is largely to blame his downfall. He seemed to ought to be responsible for the explosion on the BP rig which killed 11 oil workers in April this year. In the three months which followed over 15 million gallons of oil flowed into the Gulf of Mexico, causing extensive environmental damage. Thrusts somewhat unwillingly into the limelight and clearly under pressure, as well as intense media scrutiny, Hayward has also committed a series of shocking PR gaffes. At one stage he claimed, 'There is no one who wants this thing over more than I do, you know, I'd like my life back.' A comment which brought him instant notoriety in the U.S. Equally unpopular was his choice to take time off to go sailing at the height of crisis. But it was his performance at this special Senate hearing which sealed his reputation as a hated figure in America.
"It's impossible for me to answer that question."''All right.''
"And I don't recall that I'm afraid. I'm afraid I can't recall. I'm not stonewalling. I simply was not involved in the decision making process."The response was anger.
"This is what it looks like in the marshes; this what it looks like part of the picture of them down there."Once Hayward is gone, Bob Dudley is widely tipped to succeed him. Respected within BP, he's already been put in charge of managing the oil spill, and his American nationality will also work in his favor at times of anti-British feeling. But the future for the former BP chairman may not be all that bleak. It's been speculated that he could receive a severance package of up to 12 million pounds.
Kitty Logan,Skynews. |