THE HAGUE -- The board of Royal Dutch Shell plc has announced that Ben van Beurden will succeed Peter Voser as chief executive officer, effective Jan. 1, 2014.
Voser--who announced his retirement in May--will leave Shell at the end of March 2014, marking the end of 29 years with the company.
Van Beurden, 55, is a Dutch national and has been downstream director since January 2013.
His selection came after a comprehensive assessment and review of internal and external candidates led by the Board Nomination & Succession Committee.
"I am delighted to announce Ben van Beurden as the next chief executive officer of Royal Dutch Shell," said chairman Jorma Ollila. "Ben has deep knowledge of the industry and proven executive experience across a range of Shell businesses. Ben will continue to drive and further develop the strategic agenda that we have set out, to generate competitive returns for our shareholders."
Van Beurden joined the Royal Dutch/Shell Group of Cos. in 1983 and has held a number of technical and commercial roles in both the upstream and downstream businesses. He has worked in The Netherlands, Africa, Malaysia, United States and, most recently, the United Kingdom. He has held a number of operational and commercial roles, including 10 years in the liquid natural gas (LNG) business.
In Jan. 2005, he became vice president of manufacturing excellence, based in Houston,. In this role he was responsible for standards in operational excellence and high-performance initiatives in refining and chemicals manufacturing.
In Dec. 2006, he was appointed executive vice president of chemicals, based in London.
In Jan. 2013, he was appointed downstream director and a member of Shell's Executive Committee. He also has regional responsibility for Europe and Turkey.
Royal Dutch Shell plc, based in The Hague, The Netherlands, and London, is the parent company of Shell Oil Co., Houston, and its subsidiary, Shell Oil Products US. Shell Oil is a leader in the refining, transportation and marketing of fuels, with a network of approximately 6,000 Shell-branded gas stations in the western United States. Another 8,300 Shell-branded stations in the eastern and southern United States are managed by Motiva Enterprises LLC, a joint venture between Shell Oil and Saudi Refining Inc.
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