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Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/144679
TOP OF THE NEWS Ben van Beurden named Shell CEO T he Board of Royal Dutch Shell plc announced that Ben van Beurden will succeed Peter Voser as chief executive officer, effective January 1, 2014. Peter Voser will leave Shell at the end of March 2014, marking the end of 29 years with the company. Van Beurden, 55, has been downstream director since January 2013. "I am delighted to announce Ben van Beurden as the next chief executive officer of Royal Dutch Shell," said Chairman Jorma Ollila. "Ben has deep knowledge of the industry and proven executive experience across a range of Shell businesses. Ben will continue to drive and further develop the strategic agenda that we have set out, to generate competitive returns for our shareholders." "Van Beurden's selection came after a comprehensive assessment and review of internal and external candidates led by the board nomination and succession committee," Ollila added. Van Beurden joined the Royal Dutch/Shell Group of Companies in 1983 and has held a number of technical and commercial roles. He has worked in The Netherlands, Africa, Malaysia, USA and, most recently, the UK. nNYACS: Oneida Indian Tax Settlement Does Not Level the Retail Playing Field The tax portion of the proposed casino/ land claim/taxation agreement among the Oneida Indian Nation, New York State, and Madison and Oneida counties is too "limited, imprecise and lopsided" to restore the level playing field that non-Indian retailers have been denied for the past two decades, the New York Association of Convenience Stores has concluded. "Rather than ending unfair competition, it appears to codify permanent price differentials that would enable tribal enterprises to forever underprice tobacco and gas to the detriment of competing non-Indian convenience stores – with the eternal blessing of the State and the counties," said NYACS President James Calvin. "We applaud Governor Cuomo for making it a priority to address this issue, and thank him for consulting us along the way," said Calvin. "However, we view this settlement as too limited, 6 JULY/AUGUST 2013 Van Beurden, a Dutch national, graduated with a master's degree in chemical engineering from Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands. He is married and has four children. Van Beurden's career in Shell spans both upstream and downstream activities. He has held a number of operational and commercial roles, including some 10 years in the LNG business, and a variety of positions in downstream. In January 2005, Van Beurden became vice president, manufacturing excellence, based in Houston, USA. In this role he was responsible for standards in operational excellence and high-performance initiatives in refining and chemicals manufacturing. In December 2006, he was appointed executive vice president, chemicals, based in London, UK. During his tenure in the role, Ben was appointed to the boards of a number of leading industry associations including the International Council of Chemicals Associations and the European Chemical Industry Council. In January 2013, Ben was appointed downstream director and a member of Shell's executive committee. He also has regional responsibility for Europe and Turkey. imprecise, and lopsided to be fair to licensed, tax-collecting retailers whose livelihoods have been steadily eroded by cigarette and motor fuel tax avoidance driven by New York State tax policy and facilitated by the Oneida Indian Nation's retail enterprises." NYACS is urging the state Legislature to disapprove the "Resolution of Tax Disputes" portion (Section V) of the proposed Oneida Indian Nation agreement until such time as it is modified in order to achieve the true fairness and balance that all affected parties deserve. nMarathon Oil Corporation head to retire Clarence P. Cazalot, Jr, chairman, president and CEO of Marathon Oil Corporation (Houston) has elected to retire on Dec. 31, 2013, after almost 14 years leading Marathon Oil and 41 years in the oil and gas industry. Cazalot will continue as executive chairman through Dec. 31, 2013. The Marathon Oil board of directors has elected Lee M. Tillman to the board of directors and to succeed Cazalot as president and CEO effective Aug. 1, 2013. The board of directors intends to nominate Dennis H. Reilley, currently Marathon Oil lead director, as non-executive chairman upon Cazalot's retirement. Tillman, 51, most recently served as vice president of Engineering for ExxonMobil Development Company where he was responsible for all global engineering staff engaged in major project concept selection, front end design and engineering. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering with honors from Texas A&M University and a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Auburn University. Following his formal education, Tillman began his career in the oil and gas industry at Exxon in 1989 as a research engineer. He has extensive operations management and leadership experience that has included assignments in Jakarta, Indonesia; Aberdeen, Scotland; Stavanger, Norway; Malabo, Equatorial Guinea; Dallas and New Orleans. "Speaking for the entire Marathon Oil board of directors, we are very pleased to welcome Lee to the company. His strong NPN Magazine n www.npnweb.com