David Bird has been named CEO of the petroleum and petrochemicals division of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals. S&P Global was the first to announce the event on Friday, stating that the appointment became effective in July 2025. Bird, a mechanical engineer, has worked with Shell for about 20 years according to reports.
As to the article, Aliko Dangote, the chairman of Dangote Industries Limited, would continue to serve as the chairman of the refining company and as the chief executive officer of the larger firm, which has subsidiaries for the refining of cement, fertilizer, and sugar.
Bird used to be in charge of the Duqm refinery in Oman. He was formerly Santos Ltd.’s SVP of supply chain and manufacturing operations. He headed Shell Australia’s RAP board and oversaw the world’s first floating LNG project while serving as vice-president of Prelude FLNG at Shell. The expert in oil and gas has held the position of chief of operations at Shell’s biggest refinery, Pulau Bukom in Singapore.
Regarding his most recent appointment, Bird stated that his goal would be to increase the group’s presence throughout Africa and outside of the Nigerian market. He stated that he would be in charge of maximizing output and operational efficiency to establish the business as a worldwide market leader in a LinkedIn update that S&P quoted.
As the refinery expands its operations and solidifies its position as a significant player in Africa’s energy industry, Bird’s appointment comes at a critical juncture.
In May 2023, former President Muhammadu Buhari officially opened the refinery, which has a capacity of 650,000 barrels per day (bpd).
