London — Shell’s (SHEL.L), opens new tab head of liquefied natural gas (LNG), natural gas and power trading Steve Hill is leaving the company, Shell said on Monday.
Hill chose to leave, Shell said, adding he would hand over his responsibilities and his successor will be announced in the coming weeks. He joined Shell in 2016 following the $53 billion acquisition of rival BG Group.
Hill has headed Shell Energy, which oversees business-to-business LNG, gas and power trading, part of the company’s downstream division. Shell has a separate LNG marketing and trading division, headed by Tom Summers.
Shell is the world’s largest LNG trader, accounting for nearly 17% of global LNG trading volumes of 404 million metric tons in 2023, according to company data.
The trading division delivered huge profits in recent years, benefiting from volatility in the gas markets following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
In the fourth quarter of 2024, Shell’s LNG business made a profit of $2.4 billion, around one third of the company’s overall profit, sources told Reuters last month.
But not all the bets paid off. Reuters reported in November 2022 that Shell’s trading division recorded a loss of nearly $1 billion in the third quarter.
Shell did not say what Hill would next and he did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
*Ron Bousso; editing: Jason Neely, Louise Heavens & Barbara Lewis – Reuters
