* Sawan previously headed deepwater operations
* Brown to retire in September after 35 years with Shell(Adds details, Sawan's age)
By Ron Bousso
LONDON, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Royal Dutch Shell hasappointed Wael Sawan to head its oil and gas productiondivision, replacing Andy Brown who will step down after 35 yearsat the Anglo-Dutch company.
Sawan, 44, a Canadian citizen of Lebanese origin, currentlyheads Shell's deepwater operations, one of the company's cashgrowth engines in recent years. He joined Shell in 1997.
Brown, 56, will remain a member of Shell's executivecommittee until his departure on Sept. 30, Shell said in astatement.
"I am grateful to Andy for his strong leadership of theUpstream business, particularly having improved businessperformance during the recent years of low oil prices," ChiefExecutive Officer Ben van Beurden said in a statement.
Shell, the second largest publicly-traded oil company behindExxon Mobil, produced nearly 3,600 barrels per day ofoil and gas equivalent in the third quarter of 2018.
Shell transformed its upstream operations following the $54billion acquisition of smaller rival BG Group in 2016 that gaveit a leading position in Brazil's rapidly growing deepwaterproduction.
Since then Shell has sold many oil and gas assets in orderto focus on the most competitive fields in areas such as theNorth Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.
(Reporting by Ron Bousso; editing by Jason Neely and SusanFenton)
