Shell looks to expand presence in India, build capabilities in niche skills

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

Shell is looking to expand its presence in India in segments like electric mobility and renewable energy. The energy company will continue to add to its employee footprint in India over this year in areas like information data technology, finance operations, data science and business development with its principles of inclusion at the core, said Pratibha Priyadarshini, VP and head of HR, Shell India. The company employs more than 11,000 people in India spread across a diverse range of businesses — hardcore technology in the wet and dry lab research centres, as well as gas, power, mobility, and lubricants.

It plans to set up more than 10,000 charging points across India by 2030. «We also made a $1.55-billion acquisition of Sprng Energy, a renewable power company based in Pune. These actions are with the aim of becoming a net-zero emissions energy business by 2050.

We continue to grow across our centres for information digital technology, finance operations and technical asset operations,» said Priyadarshini. The firm hired approximately 1000 employees in 2022. This year, the focus has been on building capabilities in niche areas such as digital skills, R&D and deep technical expertise.

The company has moved beyond traditional oil and gas skills like reservoir engineering and geosciences to other upcoming skills for energy transition such as low carbon fuels, nature-based solutions, and circularity. As the industry transitions to Net Zero, a whole range of niche skills are required, for which the company is focusing on upskilling and looking beyond traditional talent pools. Female senior leadership representation has grown at the firm from 4% in 1997, when it first set its global diversity goals, to about 30% today.