Sean Gardner / AP
The former BP CEO watched his credibility burn alongside the Deepwater Horizon, as his leadership flagged in the face of an unprecedented environmental disaster.
In 2007 Tony Hayward took the helm of the British oil corporation, inheriting an organization with a checkered environmental and safety track record.
(See pictures of people protesting against BP.)
Despite a pledge to clean up, Hayward’s tenure soon included the oil industry’s worst petroleum spill. The April 20 accident killed 11 rig workers and untold numbers of wildlife. Millions of barrels of oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico, affecting the economic livelihood of residents and workers throughout the region.
(See “The Dirty Dozen: Whom to Blame for the Oil Spill.)
Hayward’s post-spill tone-deafness added salt to the Gulf’s wounds, epitomized by early June comments about his aspirations for the calamity to conclude. “There’s no one who wants this thing over more than I do,” Hayward told NBC News. “I’d like my life back.”
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqazSnR8dfI&w=450]
Less than three weeks later, Hayward got his wish. He was relieved of his day-to-day duties involving the spill. But for residents seeking to regain their livelihood, the battle against lost time and resources wages on.
Hayward sits near the back end of vote-getters among TIME’s 25 finalists for Person of Year. Contribute your vote at TIME.com, or reserve a seat at one of our gatherings around the globe to discuss the list of candidates.