Billionaire Mikhail Fridman is likely to step down soon as acting head of Russian oil company TNK-BP, with a permanent chief executive to fill the void at the dispute-riven venture.
Asked whether he would continue as acting chief executive, Fridman said, “It’s unlikely.”
When pressed on the identity of his successor, Fridman, who was speaking on the sidelines of a meeting of Russian businessmen, said, “You will soon find out.”
TNK-BP’s board is due to meet this month to discuss candidates for the chief executive post. The front-runner to replace him is seen as the Russian partners’ candidate, Mikhail Barsky, a 35-year-old former head of smaller oil firm West Siberian Resources.
BP’s nominee, Pavel Skitovich, ran gold miner Polyus Gold for five months in 2007 and worked as a Soviet diplomat in Uganda early in his career.