Rosneft may appoint a BP manager as its VP -- paper.

MOSCOW, October 5 (Itar-Tass) - Several managers who are working with
the British oil and gas corporation BP may change their place of work and
join the Rosneft oil company, the newspaper Kommersant reported on
Wednesday.
It has become known to the newspaper that Larry Bates, who earlier
worked at the Moscow office of the BP, where he was in charge of a failed
deal with Rosneft, may be appointed as a new vice-president in charge of
Rosneft strategic development.
The paper's interlocutors say he may be officially appointed to the
position towards the end of this year. A Rosneft executive confirmed in
an interview to the newspaper that Larry Bates' candidacy "is under
consideration" but he did not specify Mr Bates' future capacity.
The Kommersant points out that work is under way in Rosneft to form a
new managerial structure, in which up to 20 new vice-presidents may appear
in the Company. A Rosneft official confirmed that "the Company is looking
for highly qualified specialists in the field of shelf (exploration)
projects, as well as those that are (deemed) essential for its
international development". A source, who is familiar with the current
reorganization processes, said BP managers are also under consideration
for the positions of a vice-president to be in charge of the petroleum
processing segment and an adviser to Rosneft President Eduard Khudainatov.
The opinion of Kommersant's interlocutor is that appointments of
foreign specialists to positions in Rosneft are a "good sign". "Western
experience enables Rosneft to improve communication with potential
partners," the interlocutor said.