By ALEX BRUMMER FOR THE DAILY MAIL: 15 JAN 2016
The stone-faced Shell building overlooking the Thames at dawn is the grand dame of the London skyline predating the towers of Canary Wharf and the London Eye.
It is from here, in a relatively modest, plainly decorated 24th floor office, with almost no personal touches, that Ben van Beurden, a Shell man for 33 years, is engaged in the boldest move of his career.
‘I’ll be very honest with you,’ he confesses to the Mail in his first major interview since the transforming bid for BG International, formerly the exploration arm of British Gas, was unveiled last April.