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John Hugo Loudon

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John Hugo Loudon
John Hugo Loudon in 1958
Born
John Hugo Loudon

27 June 1905
The Hague, Netherlands
Died4 February 1996(1996-02-04) (aged 90)
Haarlem, Netherlands[1]
Occupation(s)CEO of Shell (1952 to 1965)
President of WWF (1976 to 1981)

Jonkheer John Hugo Loudon KBE (27 June 1905 – 4 February 1996) was the CEO of Royal Dutch Shell from 1952 to 1965 and the president of World Wide Fund for Nature.

Early life

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Born in The Hague, Netherlands, the son of former Shell president Hugo Loudon, John Hugo Loudon got a law degree at Utrecht University.[1] He joined the company in 1930, working in the oilfields of Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela.[2]

Career

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In 1952, Loudon became the head of Shell Petroleum. In this role he tried to prevent discrimination between nationals and non-nationals in the work force.[3] In May 1960, he was featured on Time magazine's cover.[1][4] He resigned as the CEO of Shell in 1965 and continued to serve the company as chairman of the board of supervisory directors for the next 11 years.[1]

Following his role with Shell, Loudon was appointed the chairman of an international business advisory committee at Chase Bank by David Rockefeller. Loudon retired from this role in 1977.[3]

Loudon became president of World Wide Fund for Nature in 1977 and served as president until 1981.

Personal life

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In 1931 he married Marie van Tuyll van Serooskerken who became lady in waiting to Queen Wilhelmina and with whom he had four children. Later he married Charlotte Van Sminia.

Loudon spoke five languages and was a member of the Royal yacht Squadron.[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Agis, Salpukas (9 February 1996). "John Loudon, 90, Ex-Head Of Royal Dutch/Shell Group". The New York Times. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
  2. ^ "Presidents - past and present". World Wide Fund for Nature. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
  3. ^ a b c Salpukas, Agis (9 February 1996). "John Loudon, 90, Ex-Head Of Royal Dutch/Shell Group". Retrieved 15 March 2018 – via NYTimes.com.
  4. ^ "John H. Loudon of Royal Dutch Shell". Time magazine. Archived from the original on July 12, 2007. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
Business positions
Preceded by Chairman of the Committee of Managing Directors
of Royal Dutch Shell

1952–1965
Succeeded by
General Managing Director of Royal Dutch Petroleum Company
(title changed in 1956 to President-Director)

1952–1965