Why BP Fired Its Chairman After Just Eight Months

A Rocky Tenure From Day One

Manifold, the former chief executive of building materials firm CRH, was appointed chairman in October 2025 to help oversee a major strategic overhaul . His appointment was contentious from the outset.

• Pre-AGM Opposition: In a highly unusual move against an incoming FTSE 100 chair, influential proxy adviser Glass Lewis recommended shareholders vote against Manifold’s election in April 2026. The recommendation was a direct response to BP’s decision to block a climate-related shareholder resolution from the AGM agenda .
• A Contentious Annual Meeting: At the April 23, 2026 AGM, Manifold survived a shareholder revolt but won election with only 81.8% of the vote—a notably weak result for a chair . The meeting was a public showdown. Shareholders defeated two board-proposed resolutions that would have allowed BP to scrap certain climate reporting requirements and hold fully virtual meetings. Both resolutions failed to reach the 75% threshold needed to pass, receiving only 47% support .
• Core Strategic Tensions: Manifold’s mandate was to steward BP’s February 2025 strategic pivot, which recommitted the company to its core oil and gas business and away from the aggressive renewable energy targets championed by a previous CEO . This U-turn ignited deep friction with climate-focused institutional shareholders, making Manifold a lightning rod for discontent over the company's direction .

Immediate Leadership Plan: Ian Tyler Steps In

The board acted swiftly to stabilize the top, appointing existing board member Ian Tyler as interim chairman with immediate effect . Tyler, who chairs the board’s remuneration committee, said the leadership team has “deep conviction in the strategic direction” and praised new CEO Meg O’Neill . A formal search for a permanent chair is underway, though no timeline has been set .

A Revolving Door: BP’s Leadership Crisis in Context

Manifold’s dramatic exit is not an isolated event. It is the latest in a series of profound leadership convulsions as the company executes a controversial strategic reversal.

• Five CEOs in Six Years: New CEO Meg O’Neill took the reins on April 1, 2026, becoming the first woman and first external hire to lead a top-five oil major in over a century . She is BP’s fifth permanent or interim CEO since 2020, following Murray Auchincloss and Carol Howle, who served as a bridge between them .
• A Divisive Strategic Pivot: O’Neill’s core mission is to double down on the February 2025 strategy to prioritize oil and gas production, targeting a 60% output increase by 2030 . The company has suspended share buybacks, plans $13–$13.5 billion in capital expenditure for 2026, and is focused on slashing net debt to a target of $14–18 billion by the end of 2027 . This return to its traditional roots directly contradicts earlier promises of a green transition, alienating a significant bloc of shareholders and creating the governance crises that ensnared Manifold .
• Board Instability: The leadership churn extends beyond the CEO and chair. The board itself has been shrinking and restructuring, and Manifold’s removal marks the loss of a second chair in rapid succession . The company is now attempting to convince the market it has strategic clarity—without a permanent CEO for the past several years or a stable board chair.

The upshot is clear: Albert Manifold’s abrupt and unexplained firing is symptomatic of a company wrestling with a fundamental identity crisis. BP is trying to execute a high-stakes strategic about-face while hemorrhaging top leadership and battling open shareholder rebellion over climate governance. The appointment of a new permanent chairman is now an existential test of the board’s ability to impose order on chaos.