Ceri Powell

Ceri Michele Powell (born July 1963)[1] is a Welsh geologist and businesswoman, who has worked for Royal Dutch Shell since 1990.

Education

The daughter of a manager at Milford Haven oil refinery (and chairman of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority),[2] Powell grew up in Pembrokeshire and trained as a geologist.[3] Inspired by the example of Dame May Ogilvie Gordon, one of the first female geologists,[4] Powell studied for a BSc in geology at the University of Liverpool and then pursued a PhD (awarded in 1990), sponsored by Shell, at Cardiff University, studying inversion tectonics and the reactivation of faults as thrusts.[2]

Shell career

After joining Shell (her first post was as a regional geologist in the central and southern North Sea),[2] Powell worked in the UK, Angola, Malaysia, the Netherlands (she was appointed to head Shell's competitive intelligence team in 2000, and then business advisor to the Shell's Upstream CEO)[2] and the United Arab Emirates. She was VP exploration for the Middle East, Caspian and South Asia from 2004 to early 2008, and represented Shell on joint ventures in the region, including Saudi Arabia and Kazakhstan.[5] She was then VP of Strategy until late 2009.[5]

She was appointed executive vice president exploration, Shell Upstream International in 2009, and in 2013 became global functional head of exploration.[6] As the company's drilling activities reduced, she was appointed managing director of Brunei Shell Petroleum in March 2017.[3][7]

Other roles

She sits on the United Nations advisory board for Sustainable Energy for All, chaired by the UN Secretary General.[2][6]

Powell has twice featured on the Fortune Magazine Most Powerful Women list, in 2013,[8] and ranked number 21 in 2014.[2][6] and has been a strong advocate of increasing female involvement in industry.[7][5][4] In 2015, she was described as one of the top six most powerful women in oil and gas.[9]

Personal life

Powell is married to Ajay Shah, another energy industry professional, and, after living in The Hague, she now lives in Brunei. She also has a UK home in the Cotswolds. Her non-work interests include skiing, scuba diving, yoga and gardening[5] (growing medicinal herbs).

References
  1. "Ceri Michele POWELL". Companies House. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  2. Whaley, Jane (1 May 2016). "A Passionate Geologist". GeoExPro. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  3. Gosden, Emily (24 January 2017). "Exploration boss discovers new role in risk-averse Shell". Times. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  4. "An evening with Ceri Powell, EVP at Shell (25 November 2015)". Eyedea. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  5. "Ceri Powell - profile". Sustainable Energy For All. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  6. "Meet Ceri Powell". Shell Global. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  7. Bousso, Ron (23 January 2017). "Exclusive - Shell's exploration boss Powell to step down". Reuters. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  8. "The International Power 50: Fortune's Most Powerful Women". Fortune. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  9. Topf, Andrew (29 July 2015). "Top 6 Most Powerful Women In Oil And Gas". Oilprice.com. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
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