|
Lund to succeed Svanberg as BP chair
Petroleum News
BP has appointed Helge Lund to succeed Carl-Henric Svanberg as chairman. The company said April 26 that Lund will join the board as chairman designate and a non-executive director on Sept. 1 and will be appointed chairman on Jan. 1, 2019. Lund will have a base in London.
Lund is chairman of Novo Nordisk AS in Denmark. BP said he would stand down immediately from his directorship at Schlumberger.
“BP is a great company,” Lund said. “Now as a non-executive, it is a huge privilege for me to be asked to lead an experienced and diverse board. BP has come successfully through a challenging period under the strong committed leadership of Carl-Henric and Bob. I am looking forward to working with Bob and his team as they address the changing energy landscape.”
Svanberg said: “I am delighted that Helge Lund is to be BP’s next chairman. Our industry is changing faster than ever as the world focuses on meeting the dual challenge of more energy with fewer emissions.
“Helge has a track record of leadership in addressing these issues, characterized by his open-minded and forward-looking approach. Together with his deep industry knowledge and global business experience, he has all the skills necessary to lead the board today and into the future.
“I have enjoyed my time as chairman, made special by the great people that I’ve been privileged to work with at BP, from Bob to the team throughout the company. I am sure that Helge will enjoy the role as much as I have.”
Bob Dudley, BP group chief executive, said: “Carl-Henric has steadily led our board through BP’s darkest days and into this period of growth and modernization. We owe him a debt of gratitude for his strong support and clear vision over the past nine years.
“I have known Helge for more than a decade and I am very much looking forward to working with him. With strategic vision and a modern global perspective he has a clear understanding of the challenges and the opportunities facing our industry.
“I am confident Helge, with the rest of the board, will provide the company with good governance and strategic guidance as we continue to grow and adapt through the energy transition.”
10 years with Statoil Lund was chief executive of BG Group from 2015 to 2016 when the company merged with Shell. He joined BP Group from Statoil where he served as president and CEO for 10 years from 2004.
Prior to Statoil, Lund was president and CEO of Aker Kvaerner, an industrial conglomerate with operations in oil and gas, engineering and construction, pulp and paper and shipbuilding. He has also held executive positions in Aker RGI, a Norwegian industrial holding company, and Hafslund Nycomed, an industrial group with business activities in pharmaceuticals and energy.
Lund has worked as a consultant with McKinsey and Co. and has served as a political advisor for the parliamentary group of the Conservative party in Norway.
He is chairman of the board of Novo Nordisk AS, a global healthcare company, and has been a non-executive director of Schlumberger from 2016-18, and Nokia, 2011-14.
Lund is an operating advisor to Clayton Dubilier & Rice, the U.S. investment firm, is a member of the board of trustees of the International Crisis Group and from 2011-14 served as a member of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Advisory Group on Sustainable Energy.
Lund has a degree in business economics from the Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration in Bergen and a Master of Business Administration from INSEAD business school in France.
A Norwegian national, Lund is married with two children.
| 