By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, Jan. 15 -- BP PLC Chief Executive John Browne reported he would retire from his post at the end of July. Tony Hayward, BP chief executive of exploration and production, has been appointed to succeed Browne in the role.
Hayward joined BP in 1982, and following a series of technical and commercial roles in BP Exploration in London, Aberdeen, France, China, and Glasgow, he moved to Colombia as exploration manager in 1992. In 1995 he became president of the BP group in Venezuela before returning to London in 1997as a director of BP Exploration.
Following the merger of BP and Amoco in 1999 Hayward became a group vice-president and a member of the upstream executive committee. He was appointed group treasurer in 2000, and since 2002 has been serving as chief operating officer for E&P after a short stint as an executive vice-president earlier that same year. He was appointed to the main board of BP in 2003, becoming chief executive officer of the firm's E&P segment.
Browne joined BP in 1966 as a university apprentice. From 1969-83 he held various E&P posts in Anchorage, New York, San Francisco, London, and Canada. In 1984 he became group treasurer and chief executive of BP Finance International.
Browne served as executive vice-president and chief financial officer of Standard Oil Co. in Cleveland, Ohio, in April 1986, and, following the BP-Standard merger in 1987 was also named chief executive of Standard Oil Production Co.
In 1989, Browne became managing director and chief executive of BP Exploration, London. In September 1991, he joined the BP board as a managing director. From June 10, 1995, he has served as the Group's chief executive. Following the merger of BP and Amoco, he became Group chief executive of BP Amoco on Dec. 31, 1998.
