David Bird Takes Helm as Dangote Refinery’s New CEO

The Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals has appointed David Bird, a former Shell executive and head of Oman’s Duqm Refinery, as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective July 2025, to address production challenges and drive expansion. S&P Global Commodity Insights reported on August 1, 2025, that Bird, a mechanical engineering graduate from Imperial College London with an MBA from Stanford University, brings over 25 years of global oil and gas experience, including 20 years at Shell, to lead the 650,000-barrel-per-day Lagos refinery, the world’s largest single-train facility. Aliko Dangote remains chairman of the refining business and CEO of the broader Dangote Group, which spans cement, fertilizers, and sugar, according to TheCable and Leadership Nigeria. Bird’s appointment, announced internally via a July 29 memo, aims to stabilize operations amid technical setbacks, including residue fluid catalytic cracker outages, and navigate a hostile regulatory environment.