Photo caption: Shell leaders and Contractor CEOs at the Annual Shell Leadership and Contractor CEO Conference, reaffirming their shared commitment to collaboration, operational excellence, alignment on strategic priorities, and sustainable business performance
LAGOS, Nigeria — Shell has renewed its commitment to strengthening safety standards across its Nigerian operations, urging contractors and business partners to make safe execution a central measure of operational performance.
The commitment was reinforced on August 18 at Shell’s annual Leadership and Contractor CEO Conference in Lagos, which brought together chief executives of contracting companies working with the energy company in Nigeria.
The conference, themed “Learn. Adapt. Improve.”, focused on strengthening collaboration between Shell and its contractor partners around people, performance and safety.
Speaking at the event, Shell Executive Vice President and Country Chair, Nigeria, Elohor Aiboni, said the company was pursuing a broad portfolio of projects and operations aimed at supporting Nigeria’s energy needs, creating value for stakeholders and contributing to national development.
“Shell is delivering an extensive portfolio of projects and operations that will help meet Nigeria’s growing energy needs, create value for our stakeholders, and support national development,” Aiboni said.
She noted that the company was advancing major opportunities and executing complex projects, but stressed that safety would remain the primary measure of success regardless of the scale or commercial importance of an operation.
“No matter how significant the opportunity, no matter how important the project, our success will always be measured first by how safely we deliver it,” she said, describing the conference as an important platform for reinforcing that commitment.
The event featured discussions on operational lessons, the sharing of safety experiences, an exhibition, as well as awards and recognition for contractors that demonstrated outstanding safety performance.
Safety Remains Core to Shell Operations
A key highlight of the conference was the signing of the Leadership Charter, jointly developed in 2025 by Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo) and its contractor partners.
SNEPCo Managing Director Ronald Adams said the charter aligned closely with the conference theme and was designed to translate lessons from operations into practical improvements in workplace safety and leadership.
“To learn, we must be honest about what has worked, what has been difficult, and what our people and operations are telling us,” Adams said ahead of the signing.
He said adaptation required Shell and its contractors to adjust their approaches when operational realities showed that improvements were necessary, while continuous improvement would depend on embedding the charter’s commitments into everyday leadership and operational practices.
According to Adams, the commitments should extend beyond conference discussions and become part of how Shell and its contractors lead teams, engage employees, assess performance and support safe project execution.
Aiboni reiterated that safety would remain central to Shell’s operations and its relationship with contractors.
“Every person who works for Shell or on behalf of Shell deserves to return home safely to their family, every day, without exception,” she said.
The conference underscores Shell’s broader focus on operational discipline and contractor collaboration as Nigeria seeks to expand energy production and investment while maintaining high environmental, health and safety standards.
For Shell and its contractors, the message from the forum was clear: as project complexity and energy-sector opportunities increase, operational performance must continue to be matched by rigorous safety leadership.