Finance
BP shortlists former Centrica chief Laidlaw as potential chair, Sky News reports
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on June 21, 2025
1 min readLast updated: January 23, 2026
Global Banking & Finance Review®
Company
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on June 21, 2025
1 min readLast updated: January 23, 2026
BP is considering Sam Laidlaw, former Centrica CEO, as a candidate for chair. Helge Lund faced shareholder pressure, leading to a leadership search.
(Reuters) -BP is considering Sam Laidlaw, the former chief executive of British Gas owner Centrica, as a leading candidate to succeed Helge Lund as chair, Sky News reported on Saturday.
The timing and status of Laidlaw's engagement with BP remain unclear, the report said.
Ken MacKenzie, who retired as chair of mining group BHP earlier this year, has also been approached about the role, Sky News added.
BP declined to comment.
Lund was re-elected in April with sharply reduced support amid pressure from activist investor Elliott Management and criticism from climate-focused shareholders, some of whom had called for a vote against Lund.
Nearly 25% of BP shareholders opposed Lund's re-election at the annual general meeting.
BP subsequently announced he would step down, likely in 2026. Board member Amanda Blanc is in charge of finding Lund's successor.
(Reporting by Bipasha Dey in Bengaluru; Editing by Mark Potter and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
BP is considering Sam Laidlaw, the former chief executive of Centrica, as a leading candidate to succeed Helge Lund as chair.
Nearly 25% of BP shareholders opposed Lund's re-election at the annual general meeting, leading to pressure from activist investors.
Ken MacKenzie, who recently retired as chair of BHP, has also been approached about the role.
Helge Lund was re-elected in April but is expected to step down, likely in 2026, amid criticism from shareholders.
Board member Amanda Blanc is in charge of finding Helge Lund's successor.
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