BP PLC, the oil giant that is no stranger to crises, had a doozy last week when it booted its chairman, allegedly for his bullying behavior. The decision gave rise to negative press coverage and a stock drop but also something else: The ousted leader fought back with a lengthy statement against what he views as character assassination.

Albert Manifold became London-based BP’s non-executive chair only in October. On May 26, the company issued a press release announcing that its board “unanimously decided that Albert Manifold should no longer serve as chair and director with immediate effect.” The company’s concerns related to “important governance standards, oversight and conduct,” according to the press release. The stock fell by as much as 9 percent in intraday trading.

Though bullying doesn’t appear in the statement, news reporters invoked the word, typically citing unnamed sources, as in The Wall Street Journal.

In his initial response Manifold, 63, said he would “not allow a false narrative to go unchallenged,” according to The New York Times. True to his word, on May 28, he issued a nearly 800-word rebuttal. In it, he admitted that he “pushed hard and challenged people,” but said no one at BP raised issues about his conduct and in his 40-year career he’s never been accused of bad behavior. “I dispute entirely this characterization of my conduct,” he wrote.

Cutting Costs

The main theme of his statement was that as chair he focused on cutting costs, calling out “unnecessary or excessive expenditure.” In our view, this focus in the statement backfired a little. As part of the discussion, Manifold mentioned his own sacrifices, which seemed to not rise to the occasion. When he was in the office, he said, he “made my own coffee, bought my lunch in the local café.” He noted that he didn’t use private jets or a “chauffeur-driven limousine” and instead “walked, took taxis, trains, etc.”

As could be predicted, reporters emphasized these colorful details, which gave the impression that the statement wasn’t serious. For example, “I made my own coffee” was part of CNN’s headline. This is not to say the statement was a bad idea. But it did seem overly long, in need of an edit and not well thought out. The lesson is that public messages amid a crisis should be more considered.

In responding to Manifold’s statement, BP stood by its characterization of his conduct. “We have a duty of care to all our employees, particularly those impacted by his behavior,” it said, according to the WSJ story.

Deepwater Horizon

Many news reports on the spat referred to BP’s history of crises. For example, in 2022 it announced a pivot to renewable energy, but abandoned the plan amid shareholder grumbles. In 2023 Bernard Looney resigned as CEO over not disclosing personal relationships with colleagues. And of course, BP will be forever in the crisis annals due to its massive 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill — and then-CEO Tony Hayward’s on-camera complaint about the pressure: “I’d like my life back.”

The Manifold crisis probably isn’t over. He’s reportedly hired a law firm concerning the situation.

Photo Credit: Björn Wylezich – stock.adobe.com

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