Shell

Shell celebrates its birthday on April 23rd, the anniversary of the 1907 merger between the U.K.’s Shell Transport and Trading Company and the Netherlands’ Royal Dutch. Since then it has consistently been among Europe’s, and the world’s, largest companies. Like most energy majors, Shell is highly diversified, including oil and gas exploration and extraction, refining and petrochemicals (lubricants and specialist fuels for example), pipelines and petrol forecourts, and energy trading. It also has a growing portfolio of renewable and low-carbon energy assets, including electric vehicle charging points. Shell’s big long-term push, however, has been from oil to gas, including liquefied natural gas. Through 2021-2023, this division has accounted for between a third and more than half of the group’s earnings. Shell has been headquartered in London since 2022, but retains substantial corporate functions in The Hague, reflecting its long history in the Netherlands.