Adventurous in his pursuits
Published: May 29 2008 03:00 | Last updated: May 29 2008 03:00
A veteran of the energy industry’s travel demands, Frank Chapman will nonetheless be tiring of return trips to Australia in his quest to secure an Asia-Pacific beachhead with his Origin takeover bid.
The mechanical engineer, who turns 55 in a few weeks, has made it his quest since becoming BG chief executive in 2000 to turn the UK company into a global force.
The son of a truck driver and matron’s assistant, he was the youngest of three. He went to Shipton Road secondary school in east London then gained a first at Queen Mary’s college.
He started his career at BP’s research centre in Sunbury and three years later joined Shell, where he stayed for 18 years. Ever since Shell hit reserve troubles five years ago, he has been dogged by speculation that he will return to run the oil group.
On leaving Shell, he had a stint at Kvaerner in Norway which, it is said, “didn’t work out”. He joined British Gas in 1996 to run its exploration arm and landed a board seat in 1997 when Centrica was spun off.
He married a Norwegian with whom he has two young children, and has two older children from his first marriage.
An experienced sailor, he competed in the Fastnet Race. Also a keen coastal fisherman, his sense of adventure is described as being very Norwegian.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008
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.
