Petrobras chairman to take leave of absence

Rio de Janeiro

MURILO FERREIRA will take a leave of absence as chairman of state-run oil firm Petrobras, turning his full attention to his job as chief executive officer of Vale SA as the mining company grapples with a downturn in the sector.

Luiz Nelson Guedes de Carvalho, a professor of accounting at the University of Sao Paulo and head of the Petrobras' audit committee, was named interim head of the board, Petrobras said in a statement.