Wael Sawan

Wael Sawan
Sawan in 2010
Born1974 (age 51–52)
Beirut, Lebanon
EducationMcGill University (MEng)
Harvard University (MBA)
TitleCEO, Shell plc
TermJanuary 2023-
PredecessorBen van Beurden
SpouseNicole Sawan
Children3 sons

Wael Sawan (Arabic: وائل صوان; born 1974) is a Lebanese-Canadian business executive, and the CEO of Shell plc since January 2023.

Early life and education

Sawan was born in Beirut in 1974. He grew up in Dubai, and earned a master's degree in chemical engineering from McGill University in Canada. He took a career break and earned an MBA from Harvard Business School.

He has dual Lebanese and Canadian nationality.

Career

Sawan joined Shell in 1997 as an engineer with Petroleum Development Oman. He later served as Managing Director and Chairman of Qatar Shell, where he oversaw Shell's business in Qatar, including its liquefied natural gas (LNG) and Pearl Gas-to-Liquids (GTL) operations. He rose to become head of Shell's integrated gas and renewables division, and succeeded Ben van Beurden as CEO on 1 January 2023. In the summer of 2023 he announced that Shell will be dropping plans to cut oil production each year for the rest of the decade.

Sawan received a pay packet of £7.9 million ($10.1 million) for 2023, having become chief executive at the start of 2023 on an annual salary of £1.4 million (not including other compensation). In 2025, Sawan's total compensation from Shell was £13.8 million, an increase of 60% from the £8.6 million he received in 2024.

Under Sawan, Shell has focused on share buybacks with a mission of narrowing the gap with US-domiciled energy majors. Shell is currently[when?] spending $3.5 billion a quarter on buybacks. Buybacks have run at $3 billion or more for 14 quarters in a row.

On 3 august 2026, Sawan announced a retreat from renewable energies for Shell and the sale of onshore renewable energy operations to TotalEnergies.

Personal life

Sawan is married to Nicole, and they have three sons.

References

  1. ↑ Chen, Yawen (3 June 2025). "Breakingviews - Shell-BP merger's key ingredient is time". Reuters. Retrieved 4 June 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 "Who is Shell's new chief executive Wael Sawan?". The National. 15 September 2022. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  3. ↑ Shakespeare, Ananda (16 June 2014). "Wael Sawan". MEED. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  4. 1 2 Sweney, Mark (15 September 2022). "Shell appoints Wael Sawan to replace outgoing chief Ben van Beurden". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  5. ↑ "Board of Directors – Wael Sawan". Shell Global. Retrieved 29 June 2026.
  6. ↑ "Shell Annual Report 2023 (Form 20-F)". U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Retrieved 29 June 2026.
  7. ↑ "'Pure climate vandalism': Shell backtracks on plans to cut oil". euronews. 15 June 2023. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  8. ↑ "Shell CEO Wael Sawan's total pay was $10 million in 2023". Reuters.com. 14 March 2024.
  9. ↑ Almeida, Lauren (12 March 2026). "Shell CEO's pay jumps 60% despite slump in profits at oil company". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 25 March 2026. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
  10. ↑ "Shell says it would rather buy back its own shares than bid for BP". www.ft.com. Retrieved 7 September 2025.
  11. ↑ Pratley, Nils (26 June 2025). "The arithmetic is tricky for a Shell bid for BP today. Next year may be different". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
  12. ↑ "Shell signs agreement to sell European onshore renewables portfolio to TotalEnergies | Shell Global". www.shell.com. Retrieved 4 August 2026.