Oil supermajor Shell has a new green energy chief after naming Huibert Vigeveno as director of a new business unit combining its existing downstream and renewables & energy solutions operations.
Vigeveno – currently the UK-based group’s downstream director – will take on the combined role leading Downstream & Renewables on 1 July this year after a shake-up announced by Wael Sawan, Shell’s newly-installed CEO.
Sawan himself led Shell’s renewables arm until taking over from long-serving chief executive Ben van Beurden.
Vigeveno has already been on the radar of Shell’s expanding green energy operation, with Recharge reporting in 2021 his involvement with plans to use Germany as a test-bed for integrating its growth in sectors such as green hydrogen and offshore wind.
Unlike other oil & gas peers such as TotalEnergies and BP, Shell has avoided setting specific renewables capacity targets – although it has published various emissions reduction and net zero ambitions.
Shell’s renewables activities span major Dutch offshore wind interests and a huge partnership with Iberdrola in Scottish floating wind, while it has one of the largest mooted portfolios off Brazil.
The supermajor has also invested in floating wind technology players and other key energy transition sectors such as storage.
Sawan announced Vigeveno’s appointment along with changes to its upstream oil & gas operations as part of a slimmed-down corporate structure,
“I believe that fewer interfaces mean greater co-operation, discipline and speed, enabling us to focus on strengthening performance across the businesses and generating strong returns for our investors,” said the Shell CEO.
The operational switch will not affect Shell’s financial reporting, which will continue to separately figure renewables & energy solutions.
