LONDON, Jan 31 (Reuters) - David Peattie, the head ofBritish oil company BP's often fraught Russian business,is leaving to run privately-owned North Sea oil producerFairfield Energy, the companies said on Thursday.
The move comes as BP plans to sell its stake in its mainRussian investment, TNK-BP - one of the country's biggest oilproducers.
Peattie was one of a generation of managers at BP, includingformer chief executive Tony Hayward, that were seen as possiblefuture leaders of the company. He will continue to sit on theboard of TNK-BP until BP completes the sale of its half share toRussian state-controlled Rosneft.
Fairfield Energy is owned by a consortium of private andinstitutional investors from Europe and North America led byprivate equity firm Warburg Pincus and investment houseRiverstone, where former BP CEO John Browne is a partner.
Peattie, a 32 years veteran of BP, succeeds Chris Wright atFairfield.
BP decided to sell its TNK-BP stake last year after years ofspats with its oligarch co-owners.
BP (BP.)