Woodside May Target LNG Partners in Pursuit of New CEO

Woodside Petroleum Ltd. may try to lure an executive away from Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Chevron Corp., BHP Billiton Ltd. or BP Plc to run the company after Don Voelte steps down as chief this year, analysts said.

Woodside, Australia’s second-largest oil and gas producer, likely wants someone who has worked closely with the company already, David Brennan, an analyst at Daiwa Capital Markets in Melbourne, said by phone today. The four companies are targets because they are Woodside’s partners in the proposed $30 billion Browse gas project in Western Australia, he said.