BP plc has chosen a new chairman whose expertise is in technology — as opposed to someone schooled in oil and natural gas — to take the helm when Peter Sutherland steps down, the London-based energy giant said Thursday.

Carl-Henric Svanberg, now chairman and CEO of Swedish telecommunications company Ericsson, will join the BP board as chairman-designate and become a nonexecutive director on Sept. 1. He officially will step down at year-end from Ericsson and succeed Sutherland as chairman of BP on Jan. 1. Based in London, Svanberg, 57, is expected to devote most of his time to BP business.

“BP is a recognized world leader in the energy sector and it’s a great privilege to be invited to lead its board,” Svanberg said. “Following such a distinguished predecessor is quite a challenge but I’m hugely excited about joining the energy industry, which is so much at the heart of the global economy. I look forward to it with relish.”

The search for a new BP chairman was conducted by the BP board’s nominations committee. Sir Ian Prosser, who led the search, said the process had been worldwide and exhaustive, with candidates considered from the United States, the UK and continental Europe.

Sutherland, 63, has been chairman of BP since 1997. He was scheduled to step down in April, but earlier this year he agreed to remain in his post because of the difficult market conditions that had delayed the search for a replacement.

“Peter Sutherland has been an outstanding chairman, guiding the company through one of the most successful periods in its history,” said BP CEO Tony Hayward. “He will be a hard act to follow. But I am sure Carl-Henric will be a worthy successor. He is a businessman of international stature who is recognized for his transformation of Ericsson. Our shared views on many aspects of global business give me great confidence that we will work very effectively together on the next phase of BP’s progress.”

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