A cartoon showing Shell Directors and board members who are expected to cut climate targets and give huge dividend payouts
Today the fossil fuel giant Shell is holding its Capital Markets Day in New York, following on from record profits in 2022. In a statement released ahead of the investor call, Shell’s CEO Wael Sawan announced it was turning back its green pledges, which weren’t exactly ambitious in the first place. Sawan and Shell’s board of directors also plan to give huge pay outs to the company’s investors.
Our new analysis reveals that Shell’s U-turn could produce an average 29 million tons of extra carbon per year, almost as much as Denmark emits annually! By 2030, Shell’s extra estimated emissions would be as much as Spain – one of Europe’s largest polluters – produces in one year. Dios Mio!
But who are the Board of Directors, the greenwashers and the profiteers, ultimately pulling the strings and driving us closer to climate breakdown?
Join us as we dive into the who’s who of the Shell board, exploring their roles, earnings, and a fun fact or two so you can better know those who got richer whilst the rest of us got poorer.
Wael Sawan (CEO) aka “The Carbon King”
"The Carbon King" Wael is Shell's new CEO, earning a cool $1.8M before bonuses. Since joining Shell in 1997 the company has pumped out 11 billion tonnes of CO2.
Sir Andrew Mackenzie (Board Chair) “Sir Coalface”
"Sir Coalface" Andrew is Shell’s chairman, who made $955,000 in 2022 and helped close the company’s Dutch HQ to avoid corporate taxes.
Catherine J. Hughes (Board Director) “Ms. Oil Sands”
"Ms. Oil Sands" Catherine serves as a Shell Director and since she joined the board the company has made $124B. She formerly ran a Canadian dirty oil sands mining operation
Sir Charles Roxburgh (Board Director) “The Treasurer”
"The Treasurer" Sir Charles was responsible for UK growth at Treasury from 2016-2022, during which UK GDP missed out on 5.5% of growth.
Abraham “Bram” Schot (Board Director) “The Car Salesman”
"The Car Salesman" Bram is a Shell Director and ex-boss of VW, Mercedes, and Chrysler, selling millions of SUVs, cars and vans including a $7M Lamborghin!
Neil Carson (Board Director) “The Chemist”
Since "The Chemist" Carson become a Shell Director, the company has made $85B and produced 2 billion tonnes of CO2. He used to sell chemicals to oil refineries.
Cyrus Taraporevala (Board Director) “The Money Master”
"The Money Maker" Cyrus juggles Shell Director duties with overseeing Bridgeport's $41B in assets. He used to head State Street bank, managing a whopping $3.5T.
So, there you have it - the faces, and stories, of the individuals behind a company that made record profits in 2022 and are intent on cutting their green targets in the face of climate breakdown.
Global Witness is asking
Shell to reconsider their “bombshell” decision to scrap their oil reduction targets considering the recent IPCC’s
recent Synthesis Report, which warned there is a more than 50% chance that
global temperature rise will reach or surpass 1.5 degrees between 2021 and
2040, which would have a devastating impact for the planet!
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