Mr No-nonsense leads at Regal
Published: June 25 2008 03:00 | Last updated: June 25 2008 03:00
David Greer knows about bad publicity. As deputy chief executive of Royal Dutch Shell’s Sakhalin arm, running the Sakhalin-2 project off the far-east coast of Russia, he suffered the indignity of having an internal memo, which was designed to motivate his managers – “lead me, follow me, or get out of my way” – leaked to the Financial Times last year.
So it is fitting that he is now in charge of one of the more unlikely corporate turnround stories at Regal Petroleum, which is no stranger to unfavourable headlines thanks to wrangles with ousted founder and 14 per cent investor Frank Timis.
The results so far have been hard to ignore. Regal has interesting gas reserves in Ukraine, and under Mr Greer it raised $165m (£83m) in a placing in February to develop them. The shares are up 92 per cent this year.
Mr Greer’s no-nonsense style was what Regal needed to start stabilising its reputation. When stories about him appeared in this paper, the website was sent supportive remarks from many colleagues.
One wrote: “I, having worked for the company, can attest to how much of a good leader he is. One of those larger-than-life characters. Boundless energy, charismatic, with a firm hand, brutally frank, highly committed and puts the people’s welfare first.”
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008
Comment by John Donovan
The email in question was leaked to royaldutchshellplc.com not to the Financial Times. No mention is made that David Greer’s memo borrowed extensively from an uncredited speech by U.S. General General S. George Patton. The article does not say that Greer resigned in the aftermath of the plagiarised memo ending a 27 year career at Shell. It provides a quote only from a pro Greer comment sent to the FT website when there were many vocal anti-Greer comments also received.
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.
