In an extraordinary move, the board of BP this week ousted its chair, Albert Manifold, after just six months in the job, citing governance concerns.

A regulatory statement released yesterday said the board had “unanimously decided” he should “no longer serve as chair and director with immediate effect”.

It continued: “This follows serious concerns raised to the board related to important governance standards, oversight and conduct.”

Ian Tyler, appointed as a non-executive director in April last year, has become interim chair.

Tyler said in the statement: “The board and leadership team have deep conviction in the strategic direction we have laid out, and the company is moving at pace to deliver it.

“BP is building a track record of strong underlying operational performance and a tight focus on financial discipline—all in the pursuit of growing shareholder value and returns.”

BP offered no extra detail about Manifold’s governance failings, but reports in the press have focused on his alleged blurring of responsibilities, his conduct towards colleagues and his approach to contact between non-executives and management.

Manifold’s departure continues BP’s difficulties over leadership. Meg O’Neill, the current chief executive, was appointed in December following the departure of Murray Auchincloss.

Auchincloss left the company after less than two years, following pressure from investors concerned about a lacklustre pivot towards renewable energy.

The strategic change influenced the departure of previous chair Helge Lund after nearly seven years in the job.

Prior to Lund, Carl-Henric Svanberg served as chair from 2010 to 2018.

This week, BP offered public support to O’Neill, stating: “The board has been very impressed with Meg O’Neill since she joined as CEO. She has already taken bold action to simplify and strengthen the organisation, such as announcing the move to a clearly defined upstream/downstream model.

“Under her leadership, we are building a simpler, stronger, more valuable BP.”

FTSE 100 CEOs are much more likely to be ousted for performance or scandal than board chairs.

Examples of chairs forced to depart include Nicholas Wrigley in 2017, who stepped down from Persimmon, a house builder, amid controversy over a £100m bonus for then CEO Jeff Fairburn.

Another chair who chose to go was Sir Richard Broadbent, who resigned from the board of Tesco following an accounting scandal that involved a profit overstatement of £263m.

The Libor scandal claimed the job of Barclays chair Marcus Agius, who resigned after the bank was fined £290m by the Financial Services Authority for attempting to manipulate the interbank lending rate.

Despite the relatively low number of unplanned chair departures, observers believe the position at large corporates has become harder in recent years.

In a 2023 report, search firm Heidrick & Struggles said the job has become “harder and more demanding” and “aspiring chairs should be more thoughtful about taking it on”.

“Underestimating the dimensions of the role is an easy but dangerous mistake to make,” the report said.