Shell formally trusts its deepwater portfolio in Mrs Aiboni
Sopuruchi Onwuka
Royal Dutch Shell has formally eased off the Managing Director of its deepwater business portfolio in Nigeria, Mr Bayo Ojulari, replacing him with already nominated designate, Mrs Elohor Aiboni.
The company announced Elohor Aiboni as the Managing Director Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCo) with effect from August 1, 2021.
Shell which is vacating its onshore and swamp oil assets following years of hostility with communities over massive environmental devastation prizes its deepwater portfolio as its future in the country, a position that amplifies the strategic role Mrs Aiboni would play for the company which has dominated Nigeria’s petroleum industry for decades.
Although Mr Osagie Okunbor bestrides the corporate portfolios of the company in Nigeria as Chairman, industry pundits who shared views on the developments in the company point out that Shell might continue to sell down its onshore assets and concentrate more in the deepwater which is relatively immune to host community disturbances.
Elohor would be the first woman to lead a Shell exploration company in the over 60 years of Shell’s operations in Nigeria, the company said in a statement.
She Elohor has functioned in the company the Bonga Asset Manager, working on the operations of the Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel, the key production facility at the billion barrel Bonga Main production field.
“Elohor’s appointment is a product of diligence, competence and commitment to the Shell ideals and core values amidst our strong focus on diversity and inclusion,” Shell’s Senior Vice President for Nigeria, Marno de Jong, said in a statement.
“We take pride in our intention of being one of the most diverse and inclusive organisations in the world, and focus on further improving inclusion and representation in critical areas including gender,” he added.
Her 19-year career in Shell has seen her move from a field engineer to several roles in production operations; project and asset management; operations readiness and assurance. She was at a time the Business Adviser to the Executive Vice President for Shell Sub-Saharan Africa, and had also managed third-party interface across several Shell assets in Nigeria and Kazakhstan.
Prior to her role as Bonga Asset Manager, Elohor led production delivery for shallow offshore as Asset Manager for Sea Eagle FPSO in Nigeria’s Niger Delta.
Elohor holds a master’s degree in Integrated Environmental Management from the University of Bath, UK and a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from University of Benin, Nigeria.
She is passionate about developing talent and leads a diverse team that strives to simplify work processes and pursue continuous improvement. Her leadership of the Bonga team has seen the Asset receive numerous awards, including the CEO HSSE Awards, Upstream Impact Award, and the Asset of the Year Runner up in 2019, in the Shell Group.
Her interests include watching football, lawn tennis, listening to soothing music and travelling.
