BP appointed Michael Townshend as a non-executive director of TNK-BP with immediate effect. Townshend will also continue as president of BP in Iraq. He takes the position on the TNK-BP board recently vacated by Tony Hayward.

From 2002, Townshend managed the construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan project. He moved to the Middle East in 2007 to set up BP’s tight-gas appraisal project in Oman, then became BP president of the Middle East and Pakistan. He became head of BP in Iraq in 2009 following the successful bid for the development of Rumaila.

During his 30 years at BP, he has worked in Nigeria, the U.S., Australia, Holland and Indonesia.