Aliko Dangote has appointed former Shell executive David Bird as the Chief Executive Officer of his refinery and petrochemical firm, Dangote Refinery.
Bird’s appointment comes as Dangote embarks on his next project of building a port to support the rapid growth of his industrial empire.
Bird, a graduate of Stanford University, brings a wealth of experience to his new role.
Prior to joining Dangote Refinery, Bird was the CEO of OQ8, a 230,000 barrels-a-day refinery in Oman.
He also spent 14 years with Shell, leaving in 2018 as the Vice President of Prelude FLNG, a $12 billion facility supporting Shell’s Australian assets, exploration, and drilling.
Bird’s appointment comes as Dangote Refinery ramps up processing at its 650,000 barrels-a-day plant located on the outskirts of Nigeria’s commercial hub of Lagos.
The refinery’s imports of crude jumped 29% in July to 18.87 million barrels, the highest so far this year.
Dangote has also applied to build a port in late June, which will further support the growth of his industrial empire.
The proposed Atlantic seaport in Olokola, Ogun state, lies about 100 kilometers by road from Dangote’s fertilizer plant and petrochemicals refinery in Lagos.
Dangote currently exports urea and fertilizer through an on-site jetty he built, which also receives heavy equipment for the refinery.