Michael Townshend to Join TNK-BP Board

BP said Tuesday that it has appointed Michael Townshend as a non-executive director of TNK-BP with immediate effect. Townshend will also continue as president of BP in Iraq, overseeing the expansion of Rumaila, the world’s fourth largest oilfield. He takes up the position on the TNK-BP board recently vacated by Tony Hayward.

BP chief executive Bob Dudley said, “I believe Michael will be a valuable addition to the TNK-BP board. His experience in many different roles and in many different countries for BP over the past three decades should ensure that he can make an important contribution to the continued success of the company.”

Townshend joins three other BP-appointed non-executive directors on the board of TNK-BP: Lord George Robertson, TNK-BP vice chairman and former Secretary General of NATO, David Peattie, BP’s executive for Russia and Brian Gilvary, BP deputy group chief financial officer and head of finance.

From 2002 Townshend managed the construction of the 1800 kilometre Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan project bringing Azerbaijan’s oil from the Caspian to the Mediterranean and BP’s onshore business in Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey including the South Caucasus gas pipeline. He moved to the Middle East in 2007 to set up BP’s tight gas appraisal project in Oman, then became BP president of Middle East and Pakistan. He became head of BP in Iraq in 2009 following the successful bid for the development of Rumaila.

During his 30 years at BP he has worked in a number of other locations including Nigeria, USA, Australia, Holland and Indonesia.