I was written off in my 40s, says outgoing Shell boss Ben van Beurden
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I was written off when I was 40, says outgoing Shell boss Ben van Beurden: the titan of the oil industry is getting the last laugh
- Ben van Beurden says his stellar career nearly went off the rails two decades ago
- They told him he didn’t have what it took to get to the top.
He is one of the most powerful business leaders on the planet, with a salary package of £6 million in 2021.
But, in a candid admission that will strike a chord with anyone who feels their talents are being overlooked at work, Shell chief executive Ben van Beurden says his star career nearly went off the rails two decades ago.
The Dutch oilman says that when he was 40 he was told at a leadership training assessment center that he did not have what it takes to rise to the top.
Change: Ben van Beurden with his wife Stacey
He describes the encounter as a ‘total train wreck’ that left him reeling.
He says: ‘It became apparent that I had some gaps in my CV and skill set, so the response was: ‘This is the end of the road for you my friend. In fact, we don’t quite understand how you got here in the first place.
Van Beurden had been with Shell for 17 years in various technical roles when he was invited to the assessment center, which came as he took his first commercial job with the group that sells liquefied natural gas in Mexico.
The 64-year-old, who became chief executive of the Anglo-Dutch energy giant in 2014 and left the group yesterday, proved that verdict spectacularly wrong.
In an interview posted on the Shell website, he also reveals that his wife Stacey, like many women, had misgivings about having her husband around the house all day after he retires, regardless of his exalted status.
Her fears, she says, were eased by spending more time at home during the pandemic lockdowns.
He says: “I remember three or four months later, my wife said, ‘I’m not so scared anymore that you’re going to retire if you’re home all the time, I think it could work out quite well.'”
The father of four indicates that he will not retire permanently; he plans to take up to a year off.
“It’s a little scary, but I quite like the prospect of having six or 12 months to enjoy life in a completely different way, instead of trying to get job satisfaction,” he says.
He says he regrets only being able to finish about two books a year while he was CEO, along with reading work papers and emails. He also wants to spend more time playing golf.