Shell is a British multinational that operates in roughly 70 countries across the full oil and gas chain: exploration and production, LNG liquefaction and shipping, refining, chemicals, trading and retail. Its brand is best known to consumers through service stations and lubricants, but most of its earnings come from integrated gas and upstream. The company has been led by CEO Wael Sawan since January 2023 and chaired by Sir Andrew Mackenzie. The company is headquartered in London, United Kingdom.
Shell makes money across five reporting segments. Integrated Gas produces, liquefies, ships and trades LNG and gas-to-liquids products. Upstream explores for and produces crude oil and natural gas, with deepwater hubs in Brazil and the US Gulf of Mexico. Marketing sells fuels, lubricants (including Pennzoil and Quaker State) and convenience retail through Shell-branded stations, plus EV charging. Chemicals and Products runs refineries and chemical plants and houses a large oil products trading book. Renewables and Energy Solutions covers power trading, low-carbon fuels and carbon capture. Profit is driven by oil and gas prices, LNG volumes and trading optimisation, refining margins and operating reliability. Shell returns cash through dividends and buybacks under a policy of distributing 40-50% of cash flow from operations through the cycle; Q2 2026 marked the 19th consecutive quarter with at least $3 billion of announced buybacks. Shell plc has a primary listing on the London Stock Exchange and trades as SHEL in London, Amsterdam and New York (ADS). It is widely held by institutional investors, with no controlling shareholder. It became a single UK-resident company in January 2022 after dropping the Royal Dutch Shell dual structure.