NIGERIA WOMEN IN OIL AND GAS

By Chukwudi Iwuchukwu

Shell Plc has appointed Elohor Aiboni, a Chemical Engineering graduate of UNIBEN, as Executive Vice President and Country Chair for Nigeria, making her the first Nigerian and first woman to hold the combined role in the company's more than six-decade history in the country. 

The appointment takes effect on August 1, 2026, and she will succeed Marno de Jong after his 34-year career with Shell. Aiboni is currently serving as Asset Director at Brunei Shell Petroleum.

Aiboni brings over 24 years of experience within Shell across Nigeria's offshore, shallow-water and onshore operations, as well as international assignments in Kazakhstan and Brunei. 

She made history in 2021 as the first female Managing Director of Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited, SNEPCo, leading the deepwater business where the Bonga field reached one billion barrels of cumulative oil production in 2023.

In her new role, Aiboni will oversee all of Shell's businesses in Africa's largest oil producer. 

She described the opportunity as a chance to continue contributing to Shell's efficient delivery in Nigeria and to "power progress" in a country where the company has operated for over 60 years. 

The appointment makes Aiboni the first Nigerian, and the first woman, to hold the combined role overseeing all of Shell's operations in Africa's largest oil producer.