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BP man Conn to be Centrica chief executive [Scotsman, The (Scotland)](Scotsman, The (Scotland) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) centrica has confirmed a former director at oil giant BP as its chief executive-designate to succeed Sam Laidlaw when he retires at the end of this year.BP announced last week that Iain Conn, who will take on his new post on 1 January, 2015, was leaving the group where he has headed the refining and minerals arm for the past seven years.Scottish Gas owner Centrica said on the same day that it was in talks with him about succeeding Laidlaw as chief executive.The company said yesterday that the new man will receive a basic salary of GBP925,000, which with share incentive awards subject to performance conditions could take his total package between his appointment and 2018 up to GBP3.7 million.In his BP role, Conn ran the group's customer-facing activities in the fuels, lubricants and petrochemicals sectors. Rick Haythornthwaite, Centrica's chairman, said Conn would bring "an impressive combination of experience to our business. He heads a global consumer brand familiar to millions of people and he also possesses a deep understanding of the energy sector built up over a lifetime in the industry".The chairman also praised Laidlaw's "exceptional leadership over the past eight years". He said: "Under his stewardship Centrica has achieved strength and scale, which is of great benefit to the UK as we secure the future energy needs of our customers in an increasingly international gas market." (c) 2014 ProQuest Information and Learning Company; All Rights Reserved. |