Osagie Okunbor, Shell Nigeria’s Country Chair, has retired after a distinguished 39-year career, leaving a lasting legacy in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry. Okunbor, who joined Shell in 1986, significantly advanced Nigerian content development and spearheaded Shell’s investments in deep-water and integrated gas projects.
A Business Administration graduate from the University of Benin, Okunbor held key roles across Nigeria, the United Kingdom, Brunei, and the Netherlands. Since 2015, he served as Managing Director of the former Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd (SPDC) and Country Chair of Shell Companies in Nigeria. His previous positions included Vice President of Infrastructure and Logistics in Nigeria, Vice President of Human Resources for Sub-Saharan Africa, and Senior Advisor for Upstream International Operated Business. Okunbor also served two terms as Chairman of the Oil Producers Trade Section (OPTS) of the Lagos Chamber of Industry and was honored with the H.E. Dr Alirio Parra Lifetime Achievement Award in 2022.
Marno de Jong, Executive Vice President Nigeria, who will take on the additional role of Country Chair, commended Okunbor’s leadership, stating, “Osagie’s wise counsel, empathy, and relational skills have been invaluable to Shell and the industry. We wish him a fulfilling retirement.”
Okunbor reflected, “Serving Nigeria on Shell’s global platform has been an honor. The values of honesty, integrity, and respect have shaped my contributions.”
Okunbor’s retirement marks the end of an era, with his impact on Nigeria’s energy sector widely recognized by industry stakeholders.
