Shell names internal candidate Thomas de Boer as new CEO of Dutch operations

Global energy and petrochemical giant Shell has tapped a Thomas de Boer to be the new CEO of the Dutch branch of the company. De Boer will takeover Shell Netherlands from Frans Everts, who will step down on Sept. 1 after 37 years with the company, including three as the current chief executive.

De Boer is also a longtime Shell employee, having joined the firm in 2001. He is the current biogas division vice president, and oversaw the 2-billion euro acquisition and integration of Danish firm Nature Energy. De Boer has worked for Shell in the company’s offices in Rotterdam, London, and San Francisco.

“I see tremendous opportunities for Shell, for the Netherlands, and for Dutch industry. A sustainable industry and a reliable energy supply are crucial for the transition and for our strategic independence as a country,” De Boer wrote in a statement.

“As Shell, we have an important role to play here, and I am committed to contributing to this in the years ahead.”

Even before war broke out between the United States and Israel against Iran, Everts raised concerns about high energy costs in the Netherlands, combined with carbon taxes. He said it put Dutch manufacturers and industrial leaders at a serious disadvantage compared to their foreign competitors, particularly those in Germany, France, and Belgium.

“We have already lost hundreds of millions in recent years with Shell Netherlands alone,” he said on WNL op Zondag in April 2025. Shell continuously re-evaluates the viability of its installations and businesses in the Netherlands and Europe, he added. His employees want the Netherlands to operate on a more level playing field with its neighbors so that Shell is not forced into a position to choose between massive spending on maintenance or closures of facilities.

Everts said in a the statement that he was proud of his decades-long career with Shell. “Our role in the Dutch energy supply and the energy transition cannot be underestimated. We keep the Netherlands warm, in business and on the move,” he wrote on Wednesday.

“We have the knowledge, capital, and partners here to make the energy transition a success. I am certain that Thomas de Boer will play an important role in this with his experience and background,” said Everts.