The Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals has named David Bird as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of its petroleum and petrochemicals division, effective July 2025.
The appointment, first reported by S&P Global, comes as the refinery works to overcome production challenges and push forward with its expansion plans, including the nationwide distribution of fuel — an initiative already attracting significant pushback from some stakeholders.
A source within the company said that Bird, a mechanical engineer and graduate of Imperial College London, also holds an MBA from Stanford University. He brings over two decades of experience with Shell and a strong track record in global oil and gas operations.
Bird previously served as the head of Oman’s Duqm Refinery and as Senior Vice President of Production Operations and Supply Chain at Santos Ltd. At Shell, he was Vice President of Prelude FLNG, leading the world’s first floating LNG facility, and chaired Shell Australia’s RAP board. He also oversaw operations at Pulau Bukom in Singapore, Shell’s largest refinery.
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Speaking on his appointment, Bird said his priority would be to expand Dangote’s market presence beyond Nigeria and into other African countries, while driving maximum output and operational efficiency to position the company as a global energy leader.
Aliko Dangote, Chairman of Dangote Industries Limited, will continue as chairman of the refinery while serving as CEO of the broader group, which also operates in cement, fertiliser, and sugar refining.
The 650,000 barrels per day (bpd) refinery, inaugurated by former President Muhammadu Buhari in May 2023, began producing diesel and aviation fuel in January 2024 and started petrol production by September 2024, meeting global quality standards.
In September 2024, the refinery also announced an exclusive partnership with Premier Product Marketing LLC, a US-based firm, to export polypropylene to markets outside Nigeria and Africa.
By August 15, 2025, the refinery is expected to commence fuel distribution to end-users across Nigeria using 4,000 compressed natural gas (CNG)-powered trucks.