Shell PLC is laying groundwork to replace longtime Chief Executive Officer Ben van Beurden as the Dutchman prepares to step down after nine years running the London-based energy giant, according to people familiar with the matter.
Shell executives have told the people close to the company that Mr. van Beurden is preparing to leave next year, the people said, capping a period of continuous change at Shell and within the oil-and-gas industry. Mr. van Beurden earlier presided over Shell’s largest fossil-fuel acquisition in years. More recently he has pledged to reduce the company’s greenhouse-gas emissions and increase its investments in renewable energy.
