Who was the CEO of BP during the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill?

Tony Hayward was BP’s CEO during the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Hayward became BP’s group chief executive in May 2007, succeeding John Browne. The Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20, 2010, killing 11 workers and triggering the largest marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry.

As BP’s chief executive, Hayward faced intense political and public scrutiny over the company’s safety practices and its response to the disaster. He testified before the U.S. Congress in June 2010. His tenure ended on October 1, 2010, when Bob Dudley succeeded him.

A common mix-up is Bob Dudley, who became BP’s CEO after the spill and was assigned a senior role in the Gulf Coast restoration effort while Hayward was still in charge. The company’s later settlement and cleanup efforts therefore belong largely to Dudley’s tenure, but Hayward was the CEO when the blowout occurred.