The board of directors of Royal Dutch Shell plc have announced the appointment of Charles Holliday as chairman with effect from the conclusion of the 2015 annual general meeting, subject to his re-appointment as a director of the company by shareholders at that meeting.

Holliday will succeed Jorma Ollila who will step down from the board with effect from the conclusion of the 2015 AGM having served as chairman for nine years.

Holliday was appointed a non-executive director with effect from September 2010, and is currently chairman of the corporate and social responsibility committee and member of the remuneration committee. He was chief executive officer of DuPont from 1998 to 2009, and chairman from 1999 to 2009. He is a member of the board of directors of Bank of America Corporation, having previously served as chairman up until September 2014, and is also a director of Deere & Company.

Ollila said: “I am delighted that the board has appointed Chad Holliday to succeed me as chairman. He has a distinguished track record as an international businessman and I am sure he is the right person to chair the board going forward after the 2015 AGM.”

Holliday commented: “I am honoured to be appointed chairman of this great company, and I look forward to working with Ben van Beurden and the whole board to deliver the strategy.”

The date of the 2015 AGM has been provisionally set as May 14.