* Chairman Chad Holliday to step down in May
* Shell starting to roll out energy transition
* Mackenzie joins at start of "crucial" decade -investor
(Adds investor comment)
By Ron Bousso
LONDON, March 11 (Reuters) - Royal Dutch Shell on
Thursday announced Andrew Mackenzie, a former BHP CEO and BP
veteran, as its next chairman who will help lead the energy
company through a major shift away from oil and gas to
low-carbon energy.
Mackenzie will succeed Charles Holliday who will step down
on May 18 after serving six years in the role.
Mackenzie, who left BHP Group last year
after serving as CEO of the mining group from 2013 to 2019,
joined Shell's board in October 2020.
Before that he worked at Rio Tinto for three years
following a 22-year career in BP, where he held senior
roles in oil and gas exploration, research and development and
chemicals.
Mackenzie, a British national born in 1956, will take over
as the Anglo-Dutch company undergoes a major overhaul focused on
low-carbon businesses and power trading and reducing its
greenhouse emissions by mid-century.
He will also likely lead in the coming years the search for
a successor to CEO Ben van Beurden, who has been in office since
2014.
His appointment follows a year which due to the pandemic
prompted Shell to cut its dividend for the first time since
World War II.
"I look forward to working with Ben van Beurden and the
Board to profitably accelerate Shell's transition into a
net-zero emissions energy business that continues to generate
substantial value for shareholders, customers and communities
alike," Mackenzie said.
Adam Matthews, director of ethics and engagement at the
Church of England who co-led climate talks between Shell and a
large group of investors known as Climate Action 100+, said
Mackenzie joins Shell at the start of an "absolutely crucial"
decade.
"This transition decade will challenge the foundations of
all oil and gas companies and Shell has started to detail its
plan," Matthews, who had engaged with Mackenzie on climate
issues during his time at BHP, told Reuters in a statement.
"The pressure to progress an ambitious plan for the company
and retain the confidence of the owners will ultimately be one
of the major determinants of his success in the role," Matthews
said.
(Reporting by Ron Bousso; editing by Jason Neely and Elaine
Hardcastle)