Sir Robert Wilson has declared his intention to stand down as Chairman of BG Group at the conclusion of the Company's Annual General Meeting in May 2012.

He will be succeeded by Andrew Gould, currently Chairman of Schlumberger Limited.

Mr Gould joined Schlumberger, the world's largest oil and gas industry service provider with operations in 80 countries, in 1975. He held a variety of roles in finance and management in Asia, Europe and the United States, including positions as President and Chief Operating Officer.

Mr Gould was appointed Schlumberger Chairman and Chief Executive Officer in 2003, leading a restructuring of the company aimed at increasing return on capital, reducing debt, increasing earnings faster than revenue and refocusing on its core business. He held those joint posts until 2011, when he retired as CEO. Mr Gould is due to stand down in April 2012 as Chairman of Schlumberger.

In June 2011, Mr Gould was appointed a Non-Executive Director of BG Group.

Sir Robert Wilson joined the BG Group board as a Non-Executive Director in September 2002. He was appointed BG Group Chairman in January 2004. During his tenure as Chairman the Company grew from a market capitalisation of £10 billion to a leading global oil and gas business valued today at approximately £45 billion.

"I am delighted that Andrew has accepted the board's invitation to succeed me as Chairman of BG Group,” Sir Robert said. “He has had a highly distinguished career during which he has acquired a quite exceptional knowledge of the oil and gas industry. I cannot think of anyone better qualified than Andrew to guide BG Group at a time when the Company is developing its growth portfolio, in particular its major projects in Australia, Brazil and the United States."

Mr Gould said: "I look forward to taking up this new appointment at BG Group, a company I have always admired for its achievements under Sir Robert's Chairmanship. I believe that my long experience in the upstream oil and gas sector will allow me to assist the Group in its next stage of development."

Tags: BG Group