The possible next leader of BP has ties to the Phoenix-area.
BP board managing director Robert Dudley has been mentioned as a possible successor to embattled BP chief executive Tony Hayward.
Dudley took over as BP's point man in dealing with the Gulf of Mexico oil leak after Hayward made a series of missteps, including telling reporters he wanted his life back as Gulf residents struggled to deal with the spill.
Dudley was in London Monday with other board members.
According to Dudley's bio on the BP Web site, he earned his master's degree in international management from Glendale's Thunderbird School of Global Management in the late 70's.
Dudley joined BP from Amoco Corporation in the 1998 merger between the two oil giants.
