As head for the last nine months of BHP Billiton, the world’s largest mining company, Marius Kloppers has spent much of his tenure defending his group’s presence in the oil and gas industry.

BHP is embroiled in a lengthy and hostile $167bn takeover bid for rival Rio Tinto, and there have been suggestions that the group should sell its petroleum division to help fund the proposed acquisition. Some analysts feel that an oil and gas business has no place inside a diversified mining group, while other commentators – including Tom Albanese, Rio Tinto’s chief executive – have said BHP’s petroleum division is too small to have critical mass.