OREANDA-NEWS. September 28, 2011. Essar Energy plc [LSE: ESSR], the India-focused integrated energy company, today announced the appointment of Volker Schultz as chief executive officer of its key Essar Oil UK subsidiary, which includes the Stanlow Refinery.

Mr Schultz will join Essar Energy from BP, where he has worked for 23 years and currently holds the position of Head of Refining & Marketing Strategy and Portfolio. He will report to the Essar Energy chief executive officer Naresh Nayyar.

Essar Energy acquired Stanlow, the UK’s second largest refinery, from Shell at the end of July through Essar Oil UK. A 100 day exercise is currently under way at Stanlow to identify and prioritise the key operational investments and improvements required at the refinery over the short to medium term to enhance throughput and improve the crude and product slate.

Mr Nayyar said: “We look forward to Mr Schultz’s arrival at Essar Energy. He has a wealth of experience across the oil industry which will be very valuable as he takes over responsibility for developing our UK business.”

Mr Schultz said: “I am very much looking forward to joining Essar Energy and taking on a new challenge. There are many changes currently taking place in the global refining industry which are opening up exciting new opportunities.”

Mr Schultz is expected to join Essar towards the end of October. During his career with BP, he has held a series of senior commercial, strategy, and manufacturing positions. In his current role he has been instrumental in the development and execution of the portfolio strategy for BP’s Refining and Marketing. 

Notes to editors:

Mr Schultz has been Head of Refining and Marketing Strategy and Portfolio at BP since May 2009. Previously he held various other senior commercial, strategy, and manufacturing positions including Vice President Refining & Marketing Planning & Performance Reporting (BP Head Office, London), Business Unit Leader and Managing Director of BP Lingen Refinery (Germany), Works General Manager and Managing Director of the BP Marl Styrenics chemicals site (Germany), and CFO at the BPAmoco Yorktown refinery (United States).

Mr Schultz holds a Master of Science in Management from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business and a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa.