By James Herron Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES LONDON (Dow Jones)--BP PLC (BP) said Tuesday that Robert Dudley, the executive director who heads the company's oil spill response effort in the Gulf of Mexico, will lead the entire company from October 1 when the embattled Chief Executive Tony Hayward steps down. "It will be a different company going forward, requiring fresh leadership supported by robust governance and a very engaged board," Chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg said in a statement. In sacrificing Hayward and choosing Dudley, BP's board of directors has made it clear that restoring the company's reputation in the U.S. is its top priority, said analysts. "This is nothing to do with (Hayward's) business judgment, it's what is politically convenient," said Oppenheimer analyst Fadel Gheit. "The Gulf of Mexico explosion was a terrible tragedy for which--as the man in charge of BP when it happened--I will always feel a deep responsibility, regardless of where blame is ultimately found to lie," said Hayward. Svanberg added: "We are highly fortunate to have a successor of the calibre of Bob Dudley who has spent his working life in the oil industry both in the US and overseas." -By James Herron, Dow Jones Newswires; +44 (0)20 7842 9317; james.herron@dowjones.com (END) Dow Jones Newswires July 27, 2010 02:05 ET (06:05 GMT)