Shell announced that Ben van Beurden will step down as Chief Executive Officer at the end of the year. His successor will be Wael Sawan, who is currently the Director Integrated Gas, Renewables and Energy Solutions, and was previously the Director Upstream.
Wael Sawan is based in The Hague and has been a member of Shell’s Executive Committee (EC) for three years. Prior to joining EC, he was the Executive Vice President Deepwater and a member of the Upstream Leadership Team, and Executive Vice President Qatar and a member of the Integrated Gas Leadership Team. He has worked in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas during his 25-year Shell career and has also held roles in Downstream Retail, and in various commercial and New Business Development projects.
He was born in Beirut, Lebanon and is a dual Lebanese-Canadian national. He grew up in Dubai and holds a Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering from McGill University in Montreal and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Wael Sawan will take over Shell’s leadership at a pivotal time as the oil and gas industry aims to reduce emissions to net zero by 2050 and Europe struggles with a historic energy market turmoil. His appointment is effective 1 January.
Ben van Beurden will continue working as an adviser to the Board until June 30, 2023, after which he will leave the group.