* Erginbilgic's successor to be announced later
* CFO Gilvary to also step down in June
(Adds details, quote)
By Ron Bousso
LONDON, Feb 7 (Reuters) - BP's head of downstream
Tufan Erginbilgic will step down next month after six years in
the job, the energy company said in a statement, becoming the
latest top executive to leave as CEO Bernard Looney takes over.
Erginbilgic, who joined BP in 1997, oversaw the expansion of
the downstream business, which includes refining, retail and
petrochemicals, into electric vehicle charging and added
thousands of petrol stations in developing economies such as
India and Mexico.
The announcement on his departure comes two days after
Looney took the helm from Bob Dudley.
It follows Chief Financial Officer Brian Gilvary's decision
to leave the company in June. Looney's successor as head of
upstream has yet to be announced.
Erginbilgic's successor will be announced separately, BP
said.
"Under Tufan's leadership, BP's Downstream has been at the
heart of our return to growth; what he has achieved in this time
is extraordinary," Looney said in a statement.
Downstream helped boost BP's profit after the 2014 oil price
collapse, offsetting weaker revenue from the larger oil and gas
production division.
The expansion in retail and petrochemicals are seen as key
for BP as the world shifts away from fossil fuels, focusing on
low-carbon fuels and plastics whose demand BP expects to
continue growing sharply in the coming decades.
(Reporting by Ron Bousso; editing by Jason Neely and David
Evans)
BP (BP.)