BP appears destined to get its first American CEO
The man widely expected to take the helm of oil giant BP as early as Tuesday would be the first American to become chief executive of the 101-year-old British company.
Robert W. Dudley has a lot going for him as he prepares to tackle the most daunting challenge of his long career. And he’ll need the experience he’s gained over the last 31 years in the oil business, industry experts said.
Dudley’s task is to rescue BP. To do that, he has to repair a lot of damage: the physical and economic wreckage from the oil spill, the backlash against his company, mounting legal woes and internal grumbling about a Yankee — a former executive of onetime rival Amoco, to boot — taking over the top spot.
