He will move up the following year when the current chairman and chief executive, Stanley C. Pace, retires.
After a short period the chairman retires, as expected, and the former "outsider" becomes chairman and chief executive.
Anglo American's chairman will retire this month.
The current chairman, Leonard Goldstein, will retire at the end of the year.
A couple of months later, the chairman of the planning committee resigned and retired to the Bahamas.
Nationsbank's chairman will retire at year-end and be succeeded by the company's chief executive.
Days later, in the midst of the crisis, the company's chairman, the mentor of the late executive, retired.
Hughes Aircraft's chairman and chief executive retired abruptly, 13 months after he took the posts.
The chairman, John Kilmartin, a well-regarded retailer, retired after a long illness.
The chairman and two vice chairmen will retire rather than receive honorary posts, as was originally announced.