BP new broom airs plan to 'rebuild trust'

29th Sep 2010 11:18

BP's incoming boss Bob Dudley today spelt out plans to overhaul the oil giant's global operations with an emphasis on safety ahead of his crowning ceremony on Friday.The 54-year-old American replaces Tony Hayward on 1 October following the gaff-prone Brit's unconvincing performance during the summer-long oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.A new safety division with "sweeping powers to oversee and audit the company's operations around the world" will be run by Mark Bly, current head of safety and operations."It will have its own expert staff embedded in BP's operating units, including exploration projects and refineries. It will be responsible for ensuring that all operations are carried out to common standards, and for auditing compliance with those standards," Dudley said.But there's no place in the new set-up for Andy Inglis, a BP man for 30 years. He headed the exploration and production business during the Macondo well disaster that cost the lives of 11 workers.A restructuring separates the upstream business into separate functions, led by three executive vice presidents.Mike Daly will head exploration, Bernard Looney will be in charge of development and Bob Fryar is to be responsible for production. They'll join Andy Hopwood, new executive vice president for strategy and integration, as part of an expanded top management team reporting directly to Dudley."This is a deeply challenging time for BP," the oil industry veteran said. "These are the first and most urgent steps in a programme I am putting in place to rebuild trust in BP - the trust of our customers, of governments, of our employees and of the world at large. That trust is vital to the restoration of shareholder value which has been so adversely affected by recent events." He said: "The changes are in areas where I believe we most clearly need to act, with safety and risk management our most urgent priority."