Albert Manifold, CEO of CRH Plc, speaks during an interview with Bloomberg Television in London, United Kingdom, Tuesday, August 19, 2014.
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Ousted P.A. Chairman Albert Manifold has rejected “lies” about his conduct, saying he “pushed hard and challenged people directly” during his brief tenure at the British oil supermajor.
BP Board of Directors Tuesday announcement the removal of Manifold due to “serious concerns” related to governance standards, oversight and conduct.
Several media outlets have reported that Manifold, the former boss of Irish construction materials giant CRH, acted aggressively with different colleagues during his nearly eight months at BP, citing unnamed sources.
In a scathing response published Thursday, Manifold said that while he accepted the board’s decision to remove him as chairman, he did not accept “that lies can be told about me, nor that anyone should be allowed to hide behind anonymity when commenting on my time at BP.”
Manifold said he felt his priorities of simplifying the business, changing costs and strengthening the energy major’s balance sheet were not always shared by everyone, but “there is a considerable distance between leading an organization in a hurry and the characterization of my conduct that is now being brought to the fore.”
He added that no one within the company raised any concerns about its conduct with him during his time as BP chairman.
Manifold signed off his letter by describing BP as a company “with a great future”, saying CEO Meg O’Neill, CFO Kate Thomson and their executive colleagues were “among the best people I have worked with”.
CNBC has contacted BP and is awaiting a response. A BP spokesperson referred CNBC to its statement issued Tuesday when asked to respond to Manifold’s initial comments on Wednesday.
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