Shell Nigeria has announced the retirement of its Country Chair, Osagie Okunbor, after nearly four decades of service, naming Marno de Jong as his successor.
The development was confirmed in a statement issued on Wednesday by the Communications Manager of Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo), Gladys Afam-Anadu. According to the statement, stakeholders across Nigeria’s oil and gas industry have been honouring Okunbor’s contributions during milestone retirement ceremonies which began in Abuja on Tuesday.
Okunbor, who joined Shell in 1986 after graduating from the University of Benin with a degree in Business Administration, rose through the ranks to serve in various leadership roles in Nigeria, the United Kingdom, Brunei, and the Netherlands. In 2015, he became Managing Director of the defunct Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd (SPDC) and also took on the role of Country Chair for Shell Companies in Nigeria.
Marno de Jong, Shell’s Executive Vice President for Nigeria, will now assume the additional responsibilities of Country Chair. He described Okunbor as a respected figure in Shell and the broader energy sector, praising his decades of leadership, empathy, and ability to engage with stakeholders ranging from local communities to industry leaders.
“Osagie is a respected leader in Shell and the broader industry whose wise counsel and insights have proved invaluable. Over a career that has lasted nearly 40 years, Okunbor has related with a wide range of stakeholders with empathy and excellent relational skills. We will all miss his presence and wish him a most enjoyable retirement,” said Jong.
In his remarks, Okunbor expressed gratitude for the opportunity to serve Nigeria through Shell. “It has been an honour of a lifetime serving my country on a global platform offered by Shell. The Shell values of honesty, integrity and respect for people have been useful in my modest contributions,” he said.
Okunbor’s legacy includes strong advocacy for Nigerian content, key roles in Shell’s deep-water investments, and leadership positions in industry bodies such as the Oil Producers Trade Section (OPTS) of the Lagos Chamber of Industry, where he served two terms as chairman. He was also Vice President of Infrastructure and Logistics in Nigeria, Vice President of Human Resources for Sub-Saharan Africa, and a Senior Adviser in Shell’s Upstream International Operated Business.
In 2022, Okunbor received the H.E. Dr Alirio Parra Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his contributions to Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.
His retirement marks the end of a significant chapter for Shell Nigeria, with Marno de Jong now poised to lead the company’s operations in a rapidly evolving energy landscape.
