BP makes Ian Tyler its permanent chair and Amanda Blanc announces her exit from the board
BP appointed Ian Tyler as its permanent chair on Wednesday, ending the search that opened when the board removed Albert Manifold in May 2026, less than eight months after he took the role. Tyler, a non-executive director on the board since April 2025, assumes the role immediately. Amanda Blanc, the senior independent director who led the search, said she would stand down at next year's annual meeting and leave once a successor is found.
Economics & Markets··Morning
Tyler takes the chair permanently and with immediate effect
BP appointed Ian Tyler as its permanent chair on Wednesday, and he assumes the role immediately. Tyler had been serving as interim chair and has sat on the BP board as a non-executive director since April 2025. The appointment closes a months-long search that opened when the board removed Albert Manifold in late May 2026, less than eight months after he took the role; BP pointed at the time to serious concerns about his tenure without giving details. Tyler said he would lead the board's evolution and make sure it has the depth, experience and capabilities that the company's strategic priorities and long-term value creation require, and that he would establish regular and transparent engagement with shareholders. Amanda Blanc said Tyler brings significant experience in providing challenge and support to executive teams while maintaining strong governance and oversight on behalf of shareholders.[1], [2]
Blanc leaves the board after running both chair processes
Amanda Blanc, BP's senior independent director and chief executive of the insurer Aviva, announced on Wednesday that she will stand down at next year's annual meeting. She had overseen both Manifold's appointment and Tyler's, and will leave once a successor is found. Tyler said he had asked her to stay, while Blanc judged that after four years it was an appropriate time to go with a new chair in place. She had been criticised after Manifold's short tenure, because she led the process that brought him in to replace Helge Lund and had praised his relentless focus on performance as well suited to BP's needs, after what she described as a rigorous and comprehensive global search. When Manifold left, Blanc said the board had deemed the governance oversight and conduct issues unacceptable.[1], [2]
The new chair inherits a strategy turning back to oil and gas
Ian Tyler is a former chief executive of the construction company Balfour Beatty, chairs the builders merchant Grafton Group and is senior independent director of the mining company Anglo American, having previously chaired Cairn Energy and the housebuilder Vistry Group. He is tasked with overseeing a shift in BP's strategy back to fossil fuel extraction and away from renewable energy investment. Chief executive Meg O'Neill took the helm in April as BP's third chief executive in less than five years, after Bernard Looney resigned three years ago and Murray Auchincloss was ousted last December, and the New York hedge fund Elliott Investment Management took a stake in the company last year. Four people familiar with the matter said Manifold had acted aggressively with colleagues across the company; Manifold disputes that account, has taken legal advice and has said he will not let what he calls a false narrative stand unchallenged, and neither side's version has been established independently. Mark van Baal of the activist shareholder group Follow This said many investors will ask whether the new chair can fix BP's governance, and pointed to April's annual meeting, where 18 per cent of votes went against Manifold's re-election and more than half of shareholders opposed plans to scrap the company's existing climate reporting.[2], [1]
