When it comes to public relations, “he’s no JFK,” a friend of Tony Hayward’s confides, unnecessarily. The ex–BP CEO’s glaring gaffes — such as attending a regatta in England while BP’s massive oil spill was spreading in the Gulf of Mexico — made the disaster seem even worse and resulted in his forced resignation.
Yet within the energy industry, Hayward, a Ph.D. geologist, remains well respected for his knowledge. Now he’s trying to tap that expertise by launching an oil and gas fund modeled after Vallar, the natural resources fund of Nat Rothschild. The financier is helping Hayward with the endeavor. Joining the fund this summer will be Julian Metherell, now head of U.K. investment banking for Goldman Sachs. The ex–BP CEO also seems likely to be named a senior independent director at commodities giant Glencore International. During the spill, Hayward notoriously complained that he was so busy, he’d “like his life back.” Just wait.
