Daily Telegraph
Royal Dutch Shell has unveiled the most the radical restructuring of its operations for decades in a move that will impact over 24,000 jobs.
Peter Voser, the energy giant’s in-coming chief executive, told a meeting of 200 of Shell’s top managers in Berlin, that a sweeping re-organisation was needed.
In a hard-hitting email to all staff yesterday morning and seen by The Daily Telegraph, Mr Voser said: “Our behaviours need to change if we want to enable leadership performance in a strong performance culture. That will mean that fewer people will make strategic decisions. More people will implement them, and improving performance will be our guide and goal. We will become a simpler place to work. These are key changes, aiming to make our company fitter for the future.”
The changes, which will be effective from July 1, when Mr Voser succeeds Jeroen van der Veer, will also bring a new strategic focus on to Shell’s American operations to answer President Obama’s demands for more domestic energy production.
Shell’s three main business units – Exploration Production, Oil Sands and Gas & Power which employ 22,000 people – will be merged into two: Upstream Americas covering North and South America, and Upstream International covering the rest of the world. Shell’s windpower business will be part of the upstream portfolio.
The “down-stream” divisions, which consist of the refining, marketing and chemicals businesses, will be expanded to include Trading and Alternative Energy units, except for wind. A new, group-wide business called Projects and Technology, has been created which will be responsible for project execution across the group. Matthias Bichsel, a Shell veteran, will join the executive committee as boss of the new division.
Shell’s headquarters, which employs 2,000 people, will also be restructured. Marvin Odum, currently boss of Shell in the US, joins the executive committee has been appointed head of Upstream Americas. His current boss Malcolm Brinded, who is head of E&P, will be in charge of Upstream International, which will include most of the current Gas & Power business run by Linda Cook, who announced her decision to step down on Tuesday.
The overhaul, which echos BP’s restructuring when Tony Hayward took over two years ago, was described by analysts as a “step in the right direction” after years of investor frustration with Shell’s old-fashioned, rigid organisation that has been blamed for project delays and loose cost controls.
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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.
