The Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals has appointed David Bird as the chief executive officer (CEO) of its petroleum and petrochemicals business.
The appointment took effect from July 2025.
The move comes at a time when the refinery is striving to cements its position as a major player in Africa’s energy sector and surmount production challenges towards advancing its expansion plans, which include a nationwide distribution of fuel in Nigeria. 
Bird, a mechanical engineer, has worked with Shell for about 20 years. He is a mechanical engineer. A graduate of Imperial College, London. He has an MBA from Sandford University,” the source said.
According to sources within the company, Aliko Dangote, the chairman of Dangote Industries Limited, will retain his role as chairman of the refining business while continuing to serve as CEO of the broader group, which operates cement, fertiliser, and sugar refining subsidiaries.
Bird is the former head of Oman’s Duqm refinery. He previously served as SVP of production operations and supply chain at Santos Ltd.
As vice-president of Prelude FLNG at Shell, he led the world’s first floating LNG facility and chaired Shell Australia’s RAP board. He also served as head of operations at Pulau Bukom in Singapore, Shell’s largest refinery.
Commenting on his latest appointment, Bird said his focus would be on expanding the group’s footprint beyond the Nigerian market and across the African continent. He would be responsible for driving maximum output and operational efficiency to position the company as a global market leader.