Dealmaker Martin Lovegrove to step back from advisory firm he founded

LONDON (Reuters) - Dealmaker Martin Lovegrove, adviser to top energy companies, is retiring from his role as executive chairman of boutique advisory firm Kirk Lovegrove & Company (KLC), the company said on Tuesday.

CEO Niels Kirk, who co-founded the firm with Lovegrove in 2018, will replace him at the helm while former Credit Suisse banker James Peterkin has been promoted to CEO.

"As in any business it is important to evolve as markets and dynamics change," Lovegrove, 73, who will remain on the board of the company as a non-executive director, said in a statement.

London-based KLC was established in 2018 by the former Citi bankers to advise on oil and gas and alternative energy deals. Lovegrove, a 50-year veteran in the oil? and gas industry, has advised companies including BP, Chevron and Mubadala.

The management changes at KLC remain subject to final approval by the Financial Conduct Authority, the company said.

(Reporting by Andres Gonzalez; Editing by Anousha Sakoui and Susan Fenton)

By Andres Gonzalez