SAMIR Brikho has resigned as chief executive of Amec Foster Wheeler two months after the North Sea engineering giant slashed its dividend as it prepared for a long downturn in oil and gas markets.

London-based Amec Foster Wheeler said Mr Brikho had stepped down after nine years in charge, during which he made a significant contribution to the development of the company.

Chief financial officer Ian McHoul has been appointed interim chief executive while the company searches for someone to replace Mr Brikho. Mr McHoul is not putting himself forward for the role.

AMEC Foster Wheeler provide services such as helping firms run and maintain North Sea oil and gas platforms. The company has seen revenues fall in the area, where firms have slashed spending in response to the crude price plunge.

In November the company said it would recommend a final 2015 dividend of 14.2 pence, half the amount it paid a year earlier.

In August Mr McHoul said worker numbers in the North Sea had fallen by about five per cent since January. The company employs around 4,500 in and offshore Aberdeen.

The group also works in areas such as renewable energy and nuclear waste management.