New BP chairman to 'refresh' board

BP'S new chairman has said a priority when he starts work next January will be to freshen up the oil major's board with some new non-executives.

Carl-Henric Svanberg, recent chief executive of Sweden's Ericsson, said at the weekend: "Just looking at the people and the times they have served, that is naturally going to happen."

BP is already searching for a successor to Sir Tom McKillop, who stepped down in the past year against the backcloth of his involvement with the collapse of Royal Bank of Scotland.

Sir Ian Prosser, BP's deputy chairman, is expected to leave next year with non-executive DeAnne Julius leaving by 2011.