Shell plc
Company History
Shell History: Founding, Growth & Key Milestones
Founded 1907 in London, United Kingdom / The Hague, Netherlands
When was Shell founded?
Shell was founded in 1907 in London, United Kingdom / The Hague, Netherlands by Marcus Samuel and Henri Deterding, making it 119 years old.
- Founded
- 1907
- Founding place
- London, United Kingdom / The Hague, Netherlands
- Founders
- Marcus Samuel and Henri Deterding
- Headquarters today
- London, United Kingdom
- Milestones documented
- 12 (1897–2026)
- Current CEO
- Wael Sawan
- Acquisitions
- 7
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1897 | Shell Transport Formed |
| 1907 | Royal Dutch Shell Combination |
| 1970 | Acquired Billiton |
| 2005 | Unification Into Royal Dutch Shell plc |
| 2014 | Ben van Beurden becomes CEO |
| 2016 | BG Group Acquired |
| 2022 | Shell plc Simplification |
| 2022 | Renamed Shell plc |
| 2023 | Wael Sawan Becomes CEO |
| 2023 | Acquired Nature Energy |
| 2025 | FY2025 Revenue |
| 2026 | ARC Resources Acquisition Completed |
- Where was Shell founded?
- Shell was founded in London, United Kingdom / The Hague, Netherlands in 1907.
- Who founded Shell?
- Shell was founded by Marcus Samuel and Henri Deterding.
- When did Shell start?
- Shell was founded in 1907.
- How old is Shell?
- Shell is 119 years old as of 2026.
Founding Story
In 1833 Marcus Samuel Sr. ran a London business selling objects decorated with seashells imported from the Far East. His son Marcus Samuel, working with brother Samuel Samuel, moved into the kerosene trade, and in 1892 their tanker Murex became the first bulk oil tanker approved to pass through the Suez Canal, undercutting Standard Oil in Asia. The brothers founded The Shell Transport and Trading Company in 1897. In 1907 it combined with Royal Dutch Petroleum, led by Henri Deterding, on a 60/40 basis in Royal Dutch's favour, creating the group that kept the shell emblem.
Founders
Marcus Samuel
Marcus Samuel (1853-1927), later 1st Viscount Bearsted, built Shell's British side. With his brother Samuel Samuel he commissioned the Murex, which in 1892 became the first bulk oil tanker cleared to pass through the Suez Canal, letting the brothers sell Russian kerosene in Asia at prices that challenged Standard Oil. He founded The Shell Transport and Trading Company in 1897, agreed the 1907 combination with Royal Dutch, and served as Lord Mayor of London in 1902-1903. Marcus Samuel was born in 1853.
Henri Deterding
Henri Deterding (1866-1939) became head of Royal Dutch Petroleum in 1900, a decade after the company was founded to develop oil in Sumatra. He negotiated the 1907 combination with Shell Transport and Trading, which gave the Dutch side 60% and the British side 40% of the group, and led Royal Dutch Shell until 1936. He is usually credited as a co-architect of the group rather than the founder of Royal Dutch itself. Henri Wilhelm August Deterding was born on April 19, 1866 and died on February 4, 1939. He was general manager of Royal Dutch for 36 years, from 1900 to 1936, succeeding Jean Baptiste August Kessler. In 1920 he was made an honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire for supplying the Allies with petroleum during the First World War. Henri Deterding was born in 1866.
Key Milestones
Shell Transport Formed
The Shell Transport and Trading Company became the British side of the Shell lineage.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgRoyal Dutch Shell Combination
Royal Dutch Petroleum and Shell Transport combined their interests.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgUnification Into Royal Dutch Shell plc
Royal Dutch Petroleum and Shell Transport and Trading were unified under a single parent, Royal Dutch Shell plc, in 2005.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgBen van Beurden becomes CEO
Ben van Beurden became CEO of Shell in 2014. Turned Shell into a gas-weighted major and launched its Powering Progress net-zero strategy.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgBG Group Acquired
Shell acquired BG Group, strengthening its LNG and deepwater portfolio.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgShell plc Simplification
Shell simplified its structure and became Shell plc.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgAcquired Nature Energy
Shell acquired Nature Energy for $2 billion. Shell acquired Danish biomethane producer Nature Energy for about $2 billion to build a renewable natural gas business.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgARC Resources Acquisition Completed
Shell completed its acquisition of ARC Resources on September 2, 2026.
Source: shell.comMajor Acquisitions
Billiton
1970Shell acquired Billiton in 1970.
Pennzoil-Quaker State
2002Shell acquired Pennzoil-Quaker State in 2002.
BG Group
2016Shell bought British gas producer BG Group to build scale in LNG and gain BG's Brazilian pre-salt deepwater assets.
Sonnen
2019Shell acquired Sonnen in 2019.
Limejump
2019Shell acquired Limejump in 2019.
Nature Energy
2023Shell acquired Danish biomethane producer Nature Energy for about $2 billion to build a renewable natural gas business.
ARC Resources
2026Shell acquired Canadian Montney producer ARC Resources, adding about 370 kboe/d and gas supply near LNG Canada. Value shown is the approximate enterprise value at completion; ARC described the deal as about $15.8 billion (C$22 billion) including debt.
Keep researching Shell
Shell Company History FAQ
When and how was Shell originally founded?
Shell was formed in February 1907 through the amalgamation of the Royal Dutch Petroleum Company (founded in 1890 in The Hague, Netherlands) and The "Shell" Transport and Trading Company (founded in 1897 in London, UK) to create a global competitor to John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil.
Why was the company named "Shell"?
The name originated in 1833 when London merchant Marcus Samuel began importing decorative seashells from the Far East to sell to Victorian interior designers. When his sons Marcus Jr. and Samuel expanded into kerosene shipping in the 1890s, they honored the family trade by naming the business The "Shell" Transport and Trading Company.
What was the historic significance of the SS Murex in 1892?
Commissioned by Marcus Samuel in 1892, the SS Murex was the world's first purpose-built bulk oil tanker permitted to navigate the Suez Canal, transporting Russian kerosene to Asia at vastly lower shipping costs and shattering Standard Oil's monopoly in the Far East.
What was the discovery of the Brent field in the North Sea?
In 1971, Shell and partner Esso discovered the massive Brent oil field off the coast of Scotland. The field became so central to international oil trading that its name served as the foundation for the "Brent Crude" global pricing benchmark.
What was the 2004 oil reserves restatement crisis?
In January 2004, Shell revealed that it had overstated its proven oil and gas reserves by approximately 20% (nearly 3.9 billion barrels). The scandal triggered regulatory fines, prompted the resignation of Chairman Sir Philip Watts, and forced the unification of Shell's dual British-Dutch board structure.
When did Shell unify its corporate structure into Royal Dutch Shell plc?
In 2005, under CEO Jeroen van der Veer, Shell abolished its century-old 60/40 dual holding company structure, consolidating under a single parent company, Royal Dutch Shell plc, incorporated in the UK with tax residence and headquarters in The Hague, Netherlands.
What was the landmark acquisition of BG Group in 2016?
In February 2016, under CEO Ben van Beurden, Shell completed the $53 billion (£35 billion) acquisition of the UK's BG Group. The transaction was the largest in Shell's history, making it the undisputed global leader in liquefied natural gas (LNG) and offshore deepwater exploration in Brazil.
Why did Shell drop "Royal Dutch" and move its headquarters to London in 2022?
In January 2022, shareholders voted overwhelmingly to simplify Shell's tax residence, abolish its dual A and B share structure, relocate its corporate headquarters from The Hague to London, and officially rebrand from Royal Dutch Shell plc to Shell plc.
Who is the current CEO of Shell plc?
Wael Sawan became Chief Executive Officer of Shell on January 1, 2023. A dual Lebanese-Canadian national who spent over 25 years at Shell, Sawan repositioned the company around high-return upstream and LNG assets, capital discipline, and accelerated share buybacks.
What was the Dutch court climate ruling against Shell in 2021?
In May 2021, a district court in The Hague ordered Shell to reduce its worldwide Scope 1, 2, and 3 carbon emissions by 45% by 2030 relative to 2019 levels. Shell successfully challenged the ruling on appeal, arguing that individual corporate mandates do not solve global energy demand.
What is Prelude FLNG in Shell's technological history?
Prelude FLNG is the largest floating offshore facility ever constructed, measuring nearly 500 meters long and displacing 600,000 tons. Anchored off the coast of Western Australia, it extracts, liquefies, and stores natural gas directly above remote deepwater gas fields without requiring onshore pipelines.
Where are Shell's global headquarters located today?
Shell plc is headquartered at Shell Centre on the South Bank of the River Thames in London, United Kingdom, maintaining operational hubs in Houston, The Hague, and Singapore.
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