ASSOCIATED PRESS
March 18, 2008; Page B8
John Hofmeister, who guided Shell Oil Co. through the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita only months after becoming president in 2005, will retire on June 1, the company said.
The 60-year-old Mr. Hofmeister will be succeeded by Marvin E. Odum, currently executive vice president for the Americas for Shell Exploration & Production. Mr. Odum, 49, will retain his current duties as well.
In his current capacity, Mr. Odum is responsible for Shell’s exploration and production operations in the Western Hemisphere. He joined Shell as an engineer in 1982 and has held a variety of management positions in technical and commercial operations. He began his current post in May 2005. Shell is the U.S. arm of Royal Dutch Shell PLC, Europe’s largest oil company.
Mr. Hofmeister’s decision to retire is voluntary, a company spokesman said, adding that Shell has no mandatory retirement age.
Mr. Hofmeister joined Shell in 1997 as director of human resources in The Hague and was named president of Houston-based Shell in March 2005. Five months after Mr. Hofmeister took Shell’s helm, Katrina and Rita ravaged the Gulf Coast and its energy infrastructure — oil and gas platforms, refineries and other processing facilities, among the casualties.
Energy prices increased and consumer outrage followed. That public sentiment prompted Mr. Hofmeister to conduct a 50-city tour over the past couple of years to try to change perceptions that the industry is responsible for higher prices and to gather input for a plan to deal with future energy needs.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120580256962543887.html
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