Helge Lund will succeed Carl-Henric Svanberg as chairman of BP, the company said April 26.

Lund will join the BP board as chairman designate and a non-executive director on Sept. 1. He will be appointed chairman on Jan. 1, 2019. Lund will be based in London.

Lund, who is also chairman of Novo Nordisk AS in Denmark, will stand down with immediate effect from his directorship at Schlumberger, the global oil service group.

He was chief executive of BG Group when it was taken over by Royal Dutch Shell. He also led the international expansion of Statoil where he spearheaded the company’s early efforts in offshore wind power. Lund has been one of the industry’s advocates for action to help address climate change.

Lund held the top job at BG between 2015 and 2016, when it was taken over by Royal Dutch Shell, and before that spearheaded the international expansion of Statoil during a decade in charge of the Norwegian state-controlled oil and gas group. He also launched Statoil’s early forays into offshore wind power and was among the industry’s earlier advocates for action to help tackle climate change.

The search for the new chairman was conducted by the full BP board led by Ian Davis, the senior independent director. Davis said that the search process had been worldwide and rigorous. This produced an impressive list of diverse candidates from the UK, continental Europe and the U.S.

“BP is a great company. Now as a non-executive, it is a huge privilege for me to be asked to lead an experienced and diverse board,” Lund said in a statement. “BP has come successfully through a challenging period under the strong and committed leadership of Carl-Henric and Bob. I am looking forward to working with Bob and his team as they address the changing energy landscape.”

Svanberg added: “I am delighted that Helge Lund is to be BP’s next chairman. Our industry is changing faster than ever as the world focuses on meeting the dual challenge of more energy with fewer emissions.

“Helge has a track record of leadership in addressing these issues, characterised by his open-minded and forward-looking approach. Together with his deep industry knowledge and global business experience, he has all the skills necessary to lead the board today and into the future."