Royal Dutch Shell Group .com Rotating Header Image

Shell’s own goals in the Arctic: Over to you, Ann

Screen Shot 2014-08-06 at 09.25.26US authorities say a desire to avoid taxes lead Shell to move an oil rig in rough seas in 2012, which lead to its grounding.

Extract from an article published in The Sydney Morning Herald, 3 November 2014

When Ann Pickard says how sorry she is to be leaving the Westpac board after its shareholder meeting next month – just three years after taking her seat – there is no doubting her sincerity.

Chairman Lindsay Maxsted says that following the former Shell Australia boss’s “executive relocation to the US and expectations that her commitments in North America (as head of Shell’s Arctic operations) will increase in 2015, Ms Pickard reluctantly chose to retire from the board”.

It is a great high-profile role for a go-getter such as Pickard, but it has had its challenges over the years, and trekking back to Australia for board meetings was obviously getting a little too much.

Shell recently asked the Obama administration for five more years to explore for oil off Alaska’s coast, as various setbacks mean some of its leases may expire before it actually gets around to doing any drilling by the 2017 deadline.

The Arctic program has been “on ice” since 2012 but the company has left open the possibility of starting operations again next year, which is obviously where our lucky lady Pickard comes in.

While the greenies have generated their fair share of Shell’s delay, the energy group has also scored a few embarrassing own goals, it seems.

US authorities say a desire to avoid taxes lead Shell to move an oil rig in rough seas in 2012, which lead to its grounding.

Over to you, Ann.

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Comments are closed.