Tony Hayward's 'embarrassing' day off

BP's CEO took a day off to watch a yacht race sponsored by a Wall Street bank. Did he mess up again?

Tony Hayward testifies in front of the House.
(Image credit: Getty)

For a day, at least, BP chief executive Tony Hayward got his life back. Hayward, whom BP recently relieved of his oil spill management duties, spent Saturday in the United Kingdom, watching his 52-foot sailing yacht "Bob" compete in a JPMorganChase-sponsered event off England's southern coast. While the outing drew condemnation from both the White House and members of Congress, a BP spokesperson defended Hayward's attendance, noting it was his first day off in two months. Did Hayward step in it again? This must be "the world's dumbest CEO," says Kelly McParland in the National Post. "If there is a case study in how not to act in a crisis, this guy is it." Hayward isn't entirely to blame, says Jonathan Fenby in the Guardian. For the sake of appearances alone, his employer ought to have made certain that its "Chief Embarrasment Officer" spent "a dutiful weekend at his desk" — even if he closed the office door and watched World Cup games. Watch video of Hayward aboard "Bob" below:

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us