Tony Hayward, the beleaguered ex-CEO of BP PLC, said this week that his company was unprepared for the disastrous oil spill that occurred last spring in the Gulf of Mexico, also noting that his company also came close to financial ruin during the catastrophe. In an interview with BBC broadcast, Hayward admitted that his company’s contingency plans were inadequate and "we were making it up day to day." Hayward went on to note, "What was going on was some extraordinary engineering. But when it was played out in full glare of the media as it was, of course, it looked like fumbling and incompetence."
The oil spill was caused by an explosion aboard a Gulf oil rig that also killed 11 workers. The resulting oil spill was the worst in U.S. history. Hayward, right or wrong, took most of the blame for the oil spill and the company’s response to it, and left his post as CEO last month. Hayward also admitted that he was "pretty angry" at the personal attacks that were flung at him throughout the media.
All along, Hayward has noted that the media’s representation of what was occurring was inaccurate, going so far as to say, "If I had done a degree at RADA (The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art) rather than a degree in geology, I may have done better, but I’m not certain it would’ve changed the outcome." Basically, Hayward is saying that he did everything that he could do, and his lack of PR skills are the only thing that really made the situation get out of hand for him personally. He also admitted, "I’m not certain I’d do anything different."
The oil spill was caused by an explosion aboard a Gulf oil rig that also killed 11 workers. The resulting oil spill was the worst in U.S. history. Hayward, right or wrong, took most of the blame for the oil spill and the company’s response to it, and left his post as CEO last month. Hayward also admitted that he was "pretty angry" at the personal attacks that were flung at him throughout the media.
All along, Hayward has noted that the media’s representation of what was occurring was inaccurate, going so far as to say, "If I had done a degree at RADA (The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art) rather than a degree in geology, I may have done better, but I’m not certain it would’ve changed the outcome." Basically, Hayward is saying that he did everything that he could do, and his lack of PR skills are the only thing that really made the situation get out of hand for him personally. He also admitted, "I’m not certain I’d do anything different."
