ShellNews.net: Live Chat debate on David Greer memo scandal

Sunday 10 June 2007

We have printed below a selection of recent comments posted on our Live Chat box on the subject of the leaked extraordinary motivational memo from Sakhalin Energy Deputy Chief Executive, David Greer, which turned out to be a work of plagiarism. 

The controversy resulted in front page pages in the Financial Times and The Moscow Times and has been covered by many other news organisations including MSNBC.

Please note in reading the selction that iIn some cases, we have stitched together a series of postings by one individual. Our own comments are shown as “Royal Dutch Shell”, an automated abbreviation of the website name royaldutchshellplc.com

Guest 9030: Dato Chadwick must be smiling. He and Greer hate each other since Greer took over his job in Argentina and uncovered all the nonsense and wishfull thinking by the young Chadwick. Greer used to be very good but the Peter Principle also applies to him.

Guest 8968: Is there no more important info or earth shattering news on Shell than this? Just a straight guy trying to do a decent job? Time to change focus Mr Donovan!

Royal Dutch Shell: Based on what has been revealed Mr Greer is about as straight as a banana.

Guest 1741: Yes RDS, You are right but he aint yellow like you! Strong, full of protein, with a thick skin to ignore jerks like you but with a big soft heart for people. Unlike you cowardly bastards who have fuck all else to do but cower in your anonymous lives. Get a life all of you!

Royal Dutch Shell: Guest 1741, you forgot to mention your name? Surely you do not want to remain anonymous after what you have had to say and in such cultured language. Are you by any chance David Greer?: posted by John Donovan

Guest 2286: 1741 – two errors in one post is quite osmehting: bananas aren’t full of protein, more importantly the man with a “big soft heart for people” told one guy who was pushed out of a job in a cost saving programme to “get a fucking grip and stop whining, if you weren’t such a useless c*** you’d still have a f***ing job”. Where’s the heart in that?

Posted by Paddy Briggs: Guest 1741: Whatever else the Donovans are they are not yellow. Their principled stance over the years is admirable. I do not agree with them on everything – but I greatly admire their tenaciousness and their principles. And they have never been anonymous (nor have I for that matter!)

Guest 1395: I know Eric Arkesteijn from my own time in Sakhalin and he is a classic Shell employee – decent, hardworking & loyal to his colleagues & company. That’s the attitude which made Shell a great company. Sadly that loyalty is not always returned by the company. I do agree that Greer does make things happen – and maybe he achieves results because of his approach – but it is often demonstrably in breach of SGBP, and at a high human cost. Is this down to Greer personally or the system within which  Greer operates. I don’t know for sure, and having worked in Sakhalin I know its a very demanding place to do business. This is not a black & white issue, and for the time being Shell use the grey area to their advantage and question the integrity of any critic

Guest 1395: It’s fair to question the integrity & attitude of the Donovans & others – I know I did some checking before corresponding with them, but equally they at least have the debate, whereas Shell try to block any criticism within the company with a near stalinist zeal.

Guest 4366: Where are Arkesteijn and Greer’s bosses? Why dont they stand up for them? By failing to do so they are revealing how truly weak they are themselves. What do you have to say, you silent wonders, Messrs Craig, Nijsse, Finlayson, Brinded, Vosser, Van der Veer???

Guest 8310: Well said 4366! Fully agree. From what I know and have seen of Craig personally, he is a useless leader. He was uselss at Enterprise, worse in Sarawak and hopeless in Russia. Another Brinded Baby.  Another useless loser.

Guest 7619: “General” David Greer…isn’t this the same guy who was allegedly tried to bribe the mayor of Korsakov? See “A Sakhalin Mayor Says Shell Unit Offered Cash Payment,” October 27, 2005 – from the Dow Jones

Guest 4327: Indeed 7619, but that story was also rubbish as you will see if you read carefully

Guest 963: Dato Jon Chadwick left a legacy with engineers and scientists demotivated. Many resigned in Shell Malaysia and the new CEo used cheques handouts .. money great motivator..not too different betw Greer and Chadwick..latter learnt from the former in Argentina and implanted in Malaysia

Guest 4327: Bring back the General and get rid of the CEO now!

Guest 175: It seems that “Blood & Guts” Greer is hiding in his bunker instead of having the courage to comment on or explain his incriminating email. What a poor example to his troops. This is a perfect test of whether Shell top really does support the SGBP. If they do, then they should take the appropriate action, at the very least a public reprimand for his shameful conduct of passing off as his own, the inspirational words of General Patton. No wonder Mitvol is laughing.

We believe the next posting was in relation to the time spent by David Greer as Managing Director of Shell Philippines .

Guest 7005: Which the Mayor withdrew. He is also the same guy responsible for – & I’m guessing you have not read about the countless people, mostly children saved with the Malaria eradication project in the Philippines. The Hospital. In another area, where their business was finished, yet a High School was built in order for our poverty stricken residents can have a better future. That’s where his “soft spot for people” come in. The sustainable & social development projects that, under his leadership, has helped thousands of lives. No, and this is your crowning glory? Dwelling on an absurd, sensationalized, below-the-belt, piece (the email article, a leaked email at that) that doesn’t do fig for your bigger cause except target & maliciously malign an individual. I am a community worker who has experienced first hand the value of his work (a sensitive topic as I am witness to those who survived the Malaria), work which I am sure the Sakhalin community is benefiting from as we well. As for Mr. Greer’s non-reaction, I am glad, and that he’s left to concentrating on this huge, challenging project, than be bogged by all this – w/c can hardly be called responsible “reporting”; and obvious witch-hunt (in the case of republishing the OLD Dow Jones article). I myself cannot stand for this. Maraming Salamat po.

Royal Dutch Shell: Guest 7005: If you feel constrained by the limitations of posting on Live Chat please email your comments about Mr Greer to me and I will happily publish what you have to say. It would be helpful to provide more information about the background of what you are saying. We republished the Dow Jones article because it covered allegations about David Greer – a person very much in the news at the moment.  My email address is displayed in the heading to the webpage: posted by John Donovan

Guest 3479: I agree with guest 7005. When is Shell going to take legal action against this website described in one article as an open wound on Shell and now by the FT as a long time thorn in Shell’s side? It must be damaging share price as well as Shell’s reputation. No other site would dare to publish accusations made by anonymous whistleblowers. Why are the Donovan’s allowed to get away with repeated personal attacks on Shell exec’s.  Just yesterday the Donovan’s accused Malcolm Brinded of “having blood on his hands” in relation to the Brent Bravo explosion.

Guest 9847: The worst motivation memo ever farce shows how naïve Greer is in giving wide internal circulation of such an over-the-top email without realising that in the internet age it is likely to be leaked and re-circulated to millions, which is precisely what has happened.

Guest 5881: From Moscow Times article… “twist his balls and kick the living shit out of him,” “rip them up the belly” and “shoot them in the guts.” That’s probably what Greer would like to do to Donovan and his father

Guest 7140: Seems that some posters would like to do a Litvinenko against the Donovans – been in Russia a bit too long boys?

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