BP search for new chairman

OIL giant BP have reportedly hired headhunters to find a successor to Peter Sutherland as chairman of the company.

Mr Sutherland, a former attorney-general and Ireland’s one-time EU Commissioner, is due to stand down as chairman in 2009. But reports suggested that he could go earlier if a suitable candidate was found.

The recruitment process is being handled by Anna Mann, widely recognised as Britain’s top headhunter.