By Ed Crooks and Carola Hoyos
Published: April 24 2007 22:09 | Last updated: April 24 2007 22:09
Royal Dutch Shell is likely to appoint an insider as its next chief executive, the company’s chairman said on Tuesday , raising the prospect that Linda Cook, its head of gas and power, could become the first female head of a big international oil group.
Ms Cook is seen as a leading internal candidate to succeed Jeroen van der Veer, the chief executive who recently put back his retirement by a year to June 2009. The other leading contender is Malcolm Brinded, the head of exploration and production.
In his first interview as chairman since being appointed last year, Jorma Ollila, the former chief executive of Nokia, said it was highly recommended that companies appointed chief executives from within.
“The company DNA, when it’s strong, has inherent strong elements,” he said. “That kind of company always benefits when you have a CEO groomed from within.
“When there’s a crisis, and you need to change the corporate culture, and there’s something wrong with the DNA, then you typically might look to hire [outside],” he said. “But Shell is not in that kind of situation.”
Mr Ollila praised Mr Van der Veer, saying the board felt very good about giving him an additional year to implement his strategy. He said it was much too early to start putting a succession procedure in place. He expected this to begin next year, with a decision in 2009.
But his strong preference for an internal appointment suggests that Ms Cook and Mr Brinded are the early front-runners.
Mr Brinded, as head of E&P, runs what is traditionally the most important division in an oil company.
Ms Cook also spent much of her career in E&P, and spent a year at the head of Shell Canada, which is developing the oil sands that are a vital part of Shell’s future.
William Claxton-Smith of Insight, a Shell investor, said: “I am sure succession is on the top of Mr Ollila’s agenda and it will be one of the things we will be discussing with him.”
Neil McMahon, analyst at Sanford Bernstein, the financial services company, said Ms Cook was a likely successor. “She … has been doing many investor events and comes across well,” he said.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2007
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.
Royal Dutch Shell conspired directly with Hitler, financed the Nazi Party, was anti-Semitic and sold out its own Dutch Jewish employees to the Nazis. Shell had a close relationship with the Nazis during and after the reign of Sir Henri Deterding, an ardent Nazi, and the founder and decades long leader of the Royal Dutch Shell Group. His burial ceremony, which had all the trappings of a state funeral, was held at his private estate in Mecklenburg, Germany. The spectacle (photographs below) included a funeral procession led by a horse drawn funeral hearse with senior Nazis officials and senior Royal Dutch Shell directors in attendance, Nazi salutes at the graveside, swastika banners on display and wreaths and personal tributes from Adolf Hitler and Reichsmarschall, Hermann Goring. Deterding was an honored associate and supporter of Hitler and a personal friend of Goring.
Deterding was the guest of Hitler during a four day summit meeting at Berchtesgaden. Sir Henri and Hitler both had ambitions on Russian oil fields. Only an honored personal guest would be rewarded with a private four day meeting at Hitler’s mountain top retreat.
IN JULY 2007, MR BILL CAMPBELL (ABOVE, A RETIRED GROUP AUDITOR OF SHELL INTERNATIONAL SENT AN EMAIL TO EVERY UK MP AND MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OF LORDS: 
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A head-cut image of Alfred Donovan (now deceased) appears courtesy of The Wall Street Journal.
