Hayward, the newly named chief executive of BP, had been settling in for a smooth transition, traveling around the world to meet with employees and government officials as he prepared to take over the top spot at the London-based oil company in August. But he was hastily moved into the top job on Tuesday after John Browne quit in the midst of revelations about his personal life that had prompted him to lie to a court.

So Hayward now faces the critical task of fixing a company with a broken image and damaged morale on top of dealing with the problems he already knew were there. At the top of that list were investigations in the United States over BP's safety record and conducting negotiations with foreign governments, from Russia to the Middle East, to ensure that BP can get access to sorely needed resources.

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