Wael Sawan
Chief Executive Officer
Tenure
Appointed January 1, 2023
Board Committee membership
N/A
Outside commitments on listed and large private companies
No external appointments
Age
50
Nationality
Lebanese and Canadian
Career
Wael began his career at Shell in 1997 as an engineer with Petroleum Development Oman. By the mid-2000s, Wael was Managing Director and Chairman of Shell Qatar, where he oversaw Shell's business in Qatar, including its LNG and GTL divisions. Wael then became Executive Vice President of Deep Water, where he was responsible for driving its transformation into a leading business for Shell. Prior to being appointed CEO at the start of 2023, Wael joined the Executive Committee in 2019 as Upstream Director and in 2021, he became Shell's Director of Integrated Gas, and Renewables and Energy Solutions. Wael was a trustee of Shell Foundation from 2019 to the end of 2022.
Relevant skills and experience
Wael holds an MEng from McGill University in Montreal, Canada, and an MBA from Harvard Business School. During his Shell career, spanning more than 25 years, he has worked in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas, and has held roles across all of Shell's businesses. He has led several major commercial transactions, including mergers, acquisitions and divestments, as well as new business development projects. Wael is an exceptional leader, with all the qualities needed to drive Shell safely and profitably through its next phase of transition and growth. His track record of commercial, operational and transformational success reflects not only his broad, deep experience and understanding of Shell and the energy sector, but also his strategic clarity. He combines these qualities with a passion for people, which enables him to get the best from those around him.
