Shell Korea appoints new head

By Yoon Ja-young

Shell Korea has appointed Oh Ji-won as its new chief, the first Korean to head its Seoul affiliate. Oh was an executive in charge of LNG marketing and government relations at the company, and will be inaugurated March 1.

Shell Korea was established in 1977 as a unit of Royal Dutch Shell Group. The global energy giant has been an active player in diverse sectors, including LNG marketing and business development, support for technology licensing, and trade in petrochemical products.

Oh has built up expertise in media, government and global companies during the past 20 years. She has especially shown strength as a global strategist, creating business opportunities by quickly grasping the needs of diverse parties both at home and abroad.

After joining Shell Korea in 2014, she successfully led diverse projects that involve private companies, local government and state-run companies, such as the Prelude Floating LNG platform, the world’s largest ever offshore processing facility.

Since 2017, she has been focusing on overseas projects in cooperation with Korean companies as well as bolstering the company’s LNG business. She is also a key member of the International Gas Union.

Prior to joining Shell, she worked in global growth and operations for GE Korea. She also served as a spokeswoman for international media at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and has experience as a reporter for Arirang TV, one of the country’s English-language broadcasters.

Oh noted that Korea is at a crucial point in energy transition.

“In line with the global trend in which LNG and renewable energy are taking a bigger role, Korea is also facing a crucial period of energy transition,” she said. “Based on my experience and partnerships, I hope to contribute to the economy and development of the energy industry.”