Dive Brief:
- David Lawler, chairman and president of BP America, has announced his resignation from the oil giant to pursue other interests, according to an internal memo sent to employees on Sept. 29, as outlined in a report by The Financial Times.
- Lawler, who has held BP’s top executive position in the U.S. since July 2020, will be replaced by Orlando Alvarez, BP’s senior vice president of gas and power trading, according to the memo. Alvarez will continue in his current role as well.
- Lawler’s resignation comes just a couple weeks after BP’s former CEO Bernard Looney abruptly resigned after failing to disclose the extent of past personal relationships he had with company colleagues.
Dive Insight:
While BP appeared to shore up operations by naming company veterans Murray Auchincloss and Kate Thomson as interim CEO and CFO, respectively, in the aftermath of Looney’s departure, Lawler’s resignation highlights the state of disarray BP’s leadership team appears to be in.
The company has yet to offer an update regarding its search for a new CEO.
Besides his role as chairman and president of BP America, Lawler has also been CEO of BPX Energy, BP’s onshore energy team in the U.S., since 2014. Kyle Koontz, BPX Energy’s current vice president of development, will take over once Lawler departs, according to The Financial Times.
Representatives from BP did not respond by press time to an inquiry for details on Lawler’s resignation.
Lawler joined BPX in 2014 from SandRidge Energy, an Oklahoma City-based oil and gas company, where he was executive vice president and chief operating officer, according to his bio on BP’s website. Prior to that, Lawler was CEO and president of pipeline transportation firm PostRock Energy Corporation and its predecessor entities. Earlier in his career, he held roles with oil giants Shell and Conoco.
London-based BP owns a variety of convenience retailing brands across the U.S. Besides its own branded stores, BP’s umbrella also includes Thorntons, Amoco, Ampm and TravelCenters of America. Its U.S. headquarters are in Houston.
