John Hugo Loudon
John Hugo Loudon (* June 27, 1905 in The Hague, The Netherlands, † February 4, 1996 in Haarlem, The Netherlands) was from 1951 to 1965 CEO of the oil company Royal Dutch Shell.
Life
The son of the former Shell President Hugo Loudon resigned after his law studies at the University of Utrecht in 1930 in the company in order to work up to his wedding in London, a year in the oil fields at Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela. The time of his rise in the company was affected by the reconstruction after the devastation of the Second World War. He stood in front of the Royal Dutch Shell group fourteen years as CEO, as this was one of the world's largest oil companies and led them through times of turmoil in the Middle East and the Suez crisis in 1956. He led training programs for local workers and also secured so the influence of shell despite the growing Arab nationalism during the early 1960s.
As the power of the OPEC countries grew, Loudon used his friendships with the sheiks and the political leaders of the region to defend the interests of the Shell Group.
He also maintained close friendships to business magnates like David Rockefeller and Henry Ford II
After his resignation as CEO of the oil company Shell in 1965, he continued his commitment continues as its Chairman until 1976. He was a tall, athletic man who spoke five languages. He moved effortlessly into the world of statesmen such as de Gaulle or the Shah of Persia.
When David Rockefeller, President of Chase Manhattan Bank in 1965 convened an advisory board to advise the Bank in its international businesses, he appointed Loudon as its Chairman. Loudon it was then until retirement in 1977.
John H. Loudon was international from 1976 to 1981 president of the WWF.
Loudon was married twice, most recently with Charlotte, née van Sminia. With Marie, née van Tuyll van Serooskerken who died in 1988, he had three sons, John, George and Frederick.
Honors
In addition to high Dutch Order of Loudon had been awarded the Knight of the Order of the British Empire (KBE ).