News Highlights:
- Elohor Aiboni makes history as the first Nigerian to become Shell’s Executive Vice President and Country Chair for Nigeria.
- She brings more than 24 years of experience across Shell’s offshore, shallow-water, onshore, and international operations.
Shell has announced the appointment of Elohor Aiboni as its new Executive Vice President and Country Chair for Nigeria, marking another milestone in the career of the former Managing Director of Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCo), who is currently serving as Asset Director at Brunei Shell Petroleum.
Aiboni succeeds Marno de Jong, who is leaving Shell after a distinguished 34-year career to pursue opportunities outside the company.
De Jong had led Shell’s Nigerian operations since 2020 as Senior Vice President and later assumed the additional responsibilities of Executive Vice President and Country Chair, overseeing the company’s extensive business interests across the country.
Aiboni’s appointment underscores Shell’s confidence in her leadership credentials and deep understanding of Nigeria’s energy sector.
She previously made history as the first woman to lead SNEPCo, Shell’s deep-water exploration and production subsidiary in Nigeria, before taking up an international assignment in Brunei in 2024. Throughout her career, she has held several strategic positions spanning production operations, project management, asset leadership, and offshore operations.
Meanwhile, De Jong exits after a career that began in 1992 as a Project Engineer. Over more than three decades, he served in leadership roles across project delivery, engineering, commercial operations, and upstream development in countries including the United Kingdom, Venezuela, Nigeria, Australia, the United States, the Netherlands, Malaysia, and Indonesia, culminating in his stewardship of Shell’s Nigerian business.
Under his leadership, Nigeria’s flagship Bonga asset delivered strong performance, sustaining high availability well above target, while he has also been instrumental in advancing major key investment decisions, including the HI offshore gas project and the Bonga North development.
Marno said, “I’m grateful for the support I have enjoyed since my time in Nigeria, which has enabled us to achieve progress on many fronts. I leave with fond memories of warm friendships and strong support from colleagues in Shell and our partners.
“I’m confident that Shell operations in Nigeria will continue to deliver value and growth under Elohor, given the strong leadership credentials she brings to the roles and wish Shell Nigeria every success.”
Elohor is the first Nigerian to take up the combined role of Executive Vice President and Country Chair, Nigeria, bringing over 24 years’ experience within Shell across Nigeria’s offshore, shallow water and onshore businesses with international assignments in Kazakhstan and Brunei.
Elohor became Managing Director of SNEPCo in 2021, the first female to hold the post. She led the deepwater business and associated investments in Nigeria, with Bonga achieving the 1 billionth barrel of oil in 2023. She left for Brunei in 2024, where she oversees asset performance, production, and project delivery.
Elohor said: “I’m excited at the opportunity to continue to contribute to the efficient delivery of Shell’s business in Nigeria and thereby power progress in a country we’ve been part of for more than 60 years.
“Marno has led from his heart these six plus years, sustaining operations and breaking new ground in project delivery and growth. It’s a legacy I’m keen to build on with the support of colleagues and other stakeholders.”
The new appointment takes effect on August 1st, 2026.