BP Plc plans to appoint Robert Dudley to succeed Tony Hayward as chief executive officer as the board looks to recover the company\u2019s position in the U.S., two people with knowledge of the matter said.<\/p>\n
Dudley, the director of BP\u2019s oil spill response unit, is ready to be announced as the company\u2019s first American chief on July 27 and to take the helm Oct. 1, one of the people said, asking not to be identified because a final decision hasn\u2019t yet been made. The decision was reached in discussions with board members about how best to take BP forward and rebuild its U.S. position, the person said. The BP board meets tomorrow to \u201crubber stamp\u201d\u009d the plan, the second person said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe fact he is American should help to keep things a little more straightforward in his dealings with the U.S. administration,\u201d\u009d Ted Harper, who helps manage $6.8 billion at Frost Investment Advisors in Houston, said today. He doesn\u2019t hold BP stock. \u201cDudley\u2019s most important task will continue to be making sure that the well is capped.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n