Stepping down: BP's ex-safety tsar heads for exit

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Sir Bill, who stepped down as BP's safety committee chairman in December but retained his role of senior independent director, has decided not to stand for re-election at the company's AGM in April.

Andrew Shilston, who joined BP as a non-executive director last month, is being promoted to the senior independent director's role. Professor Dame Ann Dowling, head of the engineering department at Cambridge university, will join as a non-executive director with immediate effect.

Sir Bill, who chairs the medical charity Wellcome Trust, suffered a bruising vote of no confidence at BP's investor meeting last year, with 43% declining to support his re-election.

That meeting, held just under a year after the Gulf of Mexico disaster that resulted in 11 deaths, saw about a quarter of investors voting against Sir William's re-election.

BP chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg said: "The last two years have been a difficult time for BP. Bill has devoted all the time that was asked of him and more in the service of the board and the company.

I speak for the whole board when I thank him sincerely for all that he has done."