Ben van Beurden, Downstream Director of Royal Dutch Shell, would be taking over Peter Voser position as Chief Executive Officer. The appointment was made after Voser announced his upcoming resignation on March 2014. Voser was part of Shell for 29 years.

Beurden joined Royal Dutch Shell in 1983. This was after he graduated from Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands with a Master's Degree in Chemical Engineering.

Upstream and Downstream activities were the main focus of Beurden's career in Shell. He was in the LNG business for some 10 years. He has held several operational as well as commercial roles and a number of positions in Downstream.

Beurden became the Vice President of Manufacturing Excellence in January 2005. He was based in Houston during VP years. As the VP of Manufacturing Excellence, it was Beurden's responsibility to oversee operational excellence standards and high-performance initiatives.

He was then appointed as Executive Vice President, Chemicals in December 2006. This time, his position in the company made him make his base at London, United Kingdom.

Finally, in January 2013, Beurden became the Downstream Director and a member of the Executive Committee of Shell.