The Chartered Governance Institute (CGI) has stated that BP’s handling of its chair's removal suggests internal governance processes may have functioned exactly as intended under significant pressure.

Speculation continues around the sudden departure, with reports in the Financial Times indicating that serious concerns were raised and crystallised at board level before the decision was made. The CGI noted that if these reports are well-founded, the situation underlines the critical role of a chartered company secretary in ensuring boards can act decisively.

Ben Mathews, the company secretary of BP, is a long-standing fellow of the CGI. The institute highlighted that the company has not provided extensive public details due to legal, contractual, and human resources considerations.

The CGI added that while the removal of a chair on governance and conduct grounds raises questions about oversight, the speed of the response—led by the senior independent director speaking for the board—could be read as a strong example of effective governance.