John Abbott appointed Shell's Downstream Director

Royal Dutch Shell Plc has appointed John Abbott as Downstream Director with effect from October 1, 2013. In his new role, Abbott will become a member of the Company’s Executive Committee and will take over from Ben van Beurden who, as previously announced, becomes Chief Executive Officer with effect from January 1, 2014.
 
Abbott is currently Executive Vice President Manufacturing, responsible for some 30 oil refineries and petrochemicals plants world-wide. He joined Shell in 1981, and has held a variety of management positions in refining, chemicals and upstream heavy oil, working in the UK, Singapore, Thailand, the Netherlands, Canada, and the US. Abbott graduated from Birmingham University, UK in 1981 with a degree in Chemical Engineering. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chemical Engineers as well as a Chartered Engineer and Chartered Scientist.