Albert Manifold has been ousted as chairman of British Petroleum (BP), effective immediately, after just eight months in the role, according to the company. BP said in a statement that the decision was made due to “serious concerns” regarding governance standards, oversight, and conduct, but did not provide further details.

Leadership Turmoil at BP

Manifold’s departure comes amid a wave of leadership changes at the London-based energy giant; Three years ago, BP’s then-CEO Bernard Looney was fired after he lied about personal relationships with colleagues. Earlier this year. Manifold’s predecessor as CEO. Murray Auchincloss, also left the company abruptly in December with no clear explanation given.

Meg O’Neill. Former CEO of Woodside. Was appointed as BP’s fifth CEO since 2020 and is tasked with accelerating the company’s return to oil and gas production, reversing the strategy Auchincloss had previously championed. This shift in focus has been a central theme of BP’s transformation over the past two years.

Board Discontent and Shareholder Pushback

BP’s board had unanimously decided that Manifold, who had been backed by activist hedge fund Elliott, should step down immediately. Amanda Blanc. The senior independent director who oversaw Manifold’s appointment in October 2025, said the board was “surprised and disappointed” by the governance issues it deemed “unacceptable.”.

Manifold’s leadership had already drawn scrutiny from shareholders. At BP’s annual general meeting in April, the board failed to get two of its resolutions accepted, and Manifold’s re-election as chair received only 82 percent of the votes—below the typical 100 percent support for directors. Proxy adviser Glass Lewis had recommended voting against Manifold’s appointment due to his role in excluding a climate-focused shareholder resolution.

BP’s share price dropped sharply following the announcement — In US markets, the stock fell 4.2 percent, while it dropped 4.4 percent on the London Stock Exchange. The stock had briefly fallen as much as 9 percent shortly after the news broke.

Background and Controversies

Manifold, a former CEO of building materials company CRH, had no prior experience in the energy industry before joining BP, while During his tenure at CRH, he reshaped the company’s portfolio and moved its primary listing from Ireland to the US, boosting its share price. BP appointed him as chair in 2025 after years of underperformance and amid speculation about a potential takeover or breakup of the company.

Under Manifold’s leadership, BP’s board size shrank, and some senior figures, including Shell finance chief Simon Henry, left the company. Manifold’s management style reportedly upset some colleagues, with reports suggesting that he was seen as exerting control in an executive-like manner rather than as a chair.

Meg O’Neill, who took over as CEO in December, has reportedly had friction with Manifold. Reports indicate that senior colleagues felt belittled by him and that O’Neill bristled at some of his interventions.

Manifold is the second senior leader at BP to lose his job for conduct-related reasons in three years. Bernard Looney, who was CEO before Auchincloss, was removed in September 2023 for failing to disclose personal relationships with colleagues. Looney had previously overseen the creation of a gas and low-carbon energy division, but O’Neill has since shifted the company’s focus back to upstream oil and gas production and downstream refining and distribution.

Maurizio Carulli, a global energy analyst at Quilter Cheviot, said the news is a short-term negative but emphasized that BP has made significant operational improvements over the past year. He noted that this progress was a result of the entire organization and not just one individual.