Founder Profile
Henri Deterding
Last reviewed: October 2026 · By Swet Parvadiya
Who is Henri Deterding?
Henri Deterding is a founder of Shell plc, which was founded in 1907 with Marcus Samuel.
- Company founded
- Shell plc
- Founded
- 1907
- Co-founders
- Marcus Samuel
Background
A Dutch banker-turned-oil executive who ran Royal Dutch Petroleum's East Indies sales business before leading the company.
Founding Story
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.