WHAT news of Bernard Looney, the erstwhile chief executive of BP, who was defenestrated after misleading its board over his relationships with colleagues?

At 54, and having had close to £30m clawed back or cancelled from various pay schemes as a consequence of his misconduct, retirement is an unlikely option. Nor, however, is another role at the helm of a publicly traded oil major a probable path - one former director of BP argues it would now be impossible for listed boards to take a gamble on him given the circumstances of his departure.

A much likelier route for Looney is a role at the helm of a private equity-backed energy venture (there are plenty of them) or at one of the world's myriad stateowned oil companies.

Indeed, I hear that Looney has held talks with ADNOC, the Abu Dhabi national oil corporation, about a senior advisor role. A friend of the former BP chief acknowledges that he has spoken to ADNOC, along with "hundreds of people" about potential opportunities.

He insists, however, that no job is likely to arise from the discussions. Let's see, then, where Looney emerges next.

(c) 2024 City A.M., source Newspaper