Odum to replace Hofmeister at Shell

John Hofmeister, who guided Shell Oil Co. through the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita only months after becoming president in 2005, will retire June 1, the company said March 17.

Hofmeister, 60, will be replaced by Marvin E. Odum, currently executive vice president for the Americas for Shell Exploration & Production. Odum, 49, will retain his current role.

Hofmeister joined Shell in 1997 as director of human resources in The Hague and was named president of the Houston-based company in March 2005. Shell is the U.S. arm of Royal Dutch Shell PLC, Europe’s largest oil company.

Five months after Hofmeister took Shell’s helm, Katrina and Rita ravaged the Gulf Coast and its energy infrastructure — oil and gas platforms, refineries and other processing facilities, among the casualties.

Energy prices spiked and consumer outrage followed. That public sentiment prompted Hofmeister to conduct a 50-city tour over the past couple of years to change perceptions that the industry is responsible for higher prices and to gather input for a plan to deal with future energy needs.

The national tour began in June 2006 and ended in November.

“We heard Americans in every city say that they are struggling to come to terms with the new energy reality,” Shell said in a recent report recapping the tour. “The swing, within less than a decade, from $10 oil to $100 oil has clearly had a financial impact.”

In a statement, Hofmeister said his “voice will still be heard on issues that mean very much to me.”

“I will continue to play an active role in helping our country find new solutions to our energy needs,” he said.

Hofmeister’s decision to retire is voluntary, said company spokesman Shaun Wiggins. Shell has no mandatory retirement age, Wiggins said.

In his current capacity, Odum is responsible for Shell’s exploration and production operations in the western hemisphere. He joined Shell as an engineer in 1982 and has held a variety of management positions in technical and commercial operations.

He began his current role in May 2005.

—The Associated Press