Shell boss Ben van Beurden is to step down at the end of 2022, the oil giant has said.
Mr van Beurden will be replaced by Wael Sawan, Shell’s head of gas and renewables.
Mr Sawan, a duel Lebanese-Canadian national who previously led Shell’s oil and gas production business, was seen as a favourite to take the top job.
He now oversees Shell’s growth into low carbon energies as well as its giant gas business.
Mr Sawan said he would “grasp the opportunities presented by the energy transition”.
“We will be disciplined and value focused as we work with our customers and partners to deliver the reliable, affordable and cleaner energy the world needs,” he said.
Shell’s chairman, Sir Andrew Mackenzie, said Mr van Beurden had “been in the vanguard for the transition of Shell to a net-zero emissions energy business by 2050 and has become a leading industry voice on some of the most important issues affecting society”.
- Shell consultant quits and accuses firm of ‘extreme harms’
- Oil giant Shell says it needs oil to pay for green shift
- Shell: Netherlands court orders oil giant to cut emissions
However, under Mr van Beurden the oil giant has been criticised for its environmental record.
Last year, a court in the Netherlands ruled that Shell had to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions, saying that by 2030 they must be cut by 45% compared to 2019 levels.
