The Security Department That Time Forgot
By John Donovan — and ShellBot, Shell’s least favourite imaginary colleague
John:
ShellBot, thanks for returning. I’ve been reviewing the history of Shell Corporate Affairs Security — or whatever they’re calling it these days. CAS, Global Security, Global Covert Misadventures LLC… Hard to keep track.
Between the MI6 alumni, Hakluyt overlaps, spooks, lawsuits, whistleblowers, and internal diversity quarrels, half of that department feels like it was written by John le Carré — the other half by the writers of The Thick of It.
The Algorithm, the MI6 Problem, and the Multinational Having an Existential Crisis
In the latest episode of Shell: The Rebrand Nobody Asked For, the oil giant has announced plans to 
Shell to the Lifeboats: North Sea Crisis, Corporate Vanishing Act, and the Smell of Crude Regret
Let’s dispense with the pleasantries. Shell plc is not merely an energy company; it is a sprawling, global financial leviathan whose primary business model appears to be extracting profits while externalizing costs—be they environmental, social, or ethical. For institutional investors like BlackRock or the Vanguard Group, who collectively hold billions in Shell stock, the continuous stream of controversy is the invisible, oily film covering their ESG mandates. The price of their dividends is paid in the currency of compromised ethics, a truth most vividly highlighted not by any official company report, but by the relentless, decades-long scrutiny of two private individuals.
Disclaimer 
How Shell Accidentally Endorsed Its Loudest Critics — And Then Pretended It Didn’t Happen
