Dutch businessman Ben van Beurden will relinquish his job as Dutch oil company Shell’s chief executive by the end of the year. He will make way for Lebanese-Canadian Wael Sawan, who has been serving as the company’s gas and renewables chief. Van Beurden has been with Shell for 39 years and has served the past nine years as chief executive.
Shell picks renewables boss as CEO to lead green transition – Reuters
Sawan has been chosen at a critical time for the company as it seeks to transition the business away from fossil fuels and aims to reduce carbon emissions to net zero by 2050.
Shell CEO Ben van Beurden to step down, renewables boss Wael Sawan to take the helm – CNBC
The news of Van Beurden’s replacement comes after it was reported that Shell was actively looking for a successor. Van Beurden led the company’s biggest acquisition in decades while also guiding the company through a historic collapse of energy demand during the coronavirus pandemic.
Shell appoints Wael Sawan to replace outgoing chief Ben van Beurden – The Guardian
Van Beurden will continue to work in an advisory role for the board until the end of June. Board chairperson Sir Andrew Mackenzie said Van Beurden can look back with “great pride on an extraordinary 39-year Shell career.”
Seismic judgment: Court overturns exploration rights granted to Shell – GroundUp
Shell has faced some bad PR recently in South Africa after it was granted exploration rights to conduct a seismic survey off the coast of SA. But the high court ruled that the exploration rights granted to Impact Africa and Shell along the Wild Coast were unlawful.
