Osagie Okunbor: Managing Director, Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) Nigeria Limited and the Country Chair, Shell Companies in Nigeria
By Danlami Nasir Isah
Osagie Okunbor is the Managing Director of Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) Nigeria Limited and the Country Chair, Shell Companies in Nigeria, a position he assumed on March 1, 2015.
Okunbor joined the Shell Group in June 1986 after completing a degree in Business Administration from the University of Benin (Nigeria). He also received a doctorate degree in Business Administration from the Enugu State University of Technology, and his over 30 years of work experience spans Nigeria, the United Kingdom, Brunei, and more recently, the Netherlands.
Before assuming his current role, he was Senior Advisor in Shell’s Upstream International Operated Business, based in The Hague, the Netherlands, where he supported the implementation of the revised strategy for positioning Shell Companies in Nigeria for a stronger and more sustainable future.
Prior to that, Osagie held many senior roles for the company in Nigeria, including Vice President, Human Resources, for Shell’s Upstream Business in Sub-Saharan Africa, Vice President for Infrastructure and Logistics for Shell Nigeria, and Human Resources Director.
Osagie rose through the ranks, working primarily in the HR Function until 1996 when he proceeded on an international assignment to the United Kingdom as a Senior Advisor in the Shell London Office.
Between 2002 and 2006, he served as Africa Regional Human Resources Policy Manager, General Manager Human Resources for SPDC and eventually became the Human Resources Director in 2006, a position that placed him on the Board of SPDC. He was Vice President, Infrastructure and Logistics for Shell Nigeria (2007-2008) and then Vice President Human Resources, Sub-Saharan Africa (2008-2013).
Osagie is currently the Chairman of the Oil Producers Trade Section (OPTS) of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and also chairs the Board of the Shell Nigeria Closed Pension Fund Administrators (SNCPFA), as well as that of All On, a recently established off-grid energy entity, and the Nigeria Oil Industry Group (Oil Producers Trade Section of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry).
Last year, Okunbor was named the sole recipient of the H. E. Dr Alirio Parra Lifetime Achievement Award in Nigeria Oil and Gas Industry for 2022.
Named in honour of the late Venezuelan Minister of Petroleum and one of the founding fathers of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), the award is the most prestigious recognition for an individual or organization with notable contributions to the development of Nigeria’s oil and gas industry. Winners of the award are nominated from online votes by industry participants to the Nigerian Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition.
The award to Okunbor was the climax of the closing events for the 21st edition of the Nigeria Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition (NOG ’22) held in Abuja.
Earlier in 2021, Okunbor was honoured with the Distinguished Alumnus Award by the University of Benin and the Award for Excellence and Integrity in Corporate Leadership by the Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun. A human resource professional, Okunbor had also been honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award for contributions to the Development of HR in Nigeria by the HR People Magazine.
Over the years, his outstanding leadership has earned Shell several recognitions, including Sustainability Enterprise and Responsibility Awards (SERAs 2018), where Shell Companies in Nigeria was awarded “Best in Climate Action” for the Afam VI Power Plant.
SNEPCo was named the “Best Nigerian Oil and Gas Company in Technology and Innovation” at the Nigerian International Petroleum Summit (NIPS) for pioneering in-country subsea tree refurbishment. This was the first time in the Nigerian oil and gas industry that a subsea tree was fully stripped down and refurbished locally with its original functionality restored.
Also, Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN) named SPDC “Local Content Operator of the Year,” marking the third time Shell Companies in Nigeria won the PETAN award.
Shell Companies in Nigeria further got the “Best Performing International Company in Technology and Innovation” at the first Nigeria International Petroleum Summit, which included recognition of their role in local capacity development and Nigerian content.
Then, in 2019, Jobberman report names Shell Companies in Nigeria the “Best Company to Work For,” where Shell led the pack of top 100 companies that respondents admire, respect and desire to work for the most.
In the same year, the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN) awarded Shell Companies in Nigeria “Local Content Operator of the Year.” SPDC also won the 2019 Nigeria Oil and Gas Conference (NOG) Excellence Award presented to a member of the Nigerian Oil and Gas value chain with the most positive commercial or technical contribution to the industry.
Okunbor is married and is blessed with three children. In his spare time, he enjoys music and football.
