Engr. Effiong Okon FNSE, FEI
Background
Engr. Effiong Udofia Okon is the Chief Executive Officer Designate of Seplat Energy Plc, appointed by the Board of Directors in June 2026 to assume the helm of Africa’s premier indigenous energy company on August 1, 2026. A distinguished global energy executive with over 35 years of transformative leadership, he brings a rare synthesis of deep technical mastery, commercial acumen, and strategic vision across the oil, gas, power, and new energy value chains.
Since joining Seplat Energy in 2018, Engr. Okon has been a catalyst for operational excellence, embedding disciplined safety culture, and strategic growth. As Executive Director of Operations, he embedded a culture of continuous improvement, optimizing asset reliability and production efficiency. Championing the energy transition as Director of New Energy, he steered Seplat’s expansion into midstream gas and integrated power solutions to support Nigeria’s decarbonization and industrialization ambitions.
One of the defining milestones of his tenure was his stewardship as Managing Director of ANOH Gas Processing Company Limited (a joint venture with NNPC Limited). Under his leadership, the landmark 300MMscfd ANOH Gas Processing Plant achieved first gas in January 2026, significantly bolstering Nigeria’s domestic gas supply and Seplat Energy PLC gas-led development strategy. Prior to his CEO designation, as Director of Projects, he oversaw the execution of Seplat’s most critical strategic portfolio of projects.
Skill and Experience
Before joining Seplat, Engr. Okon built a formidable 26-year career with Shell, holding senior executive roles across Nigeria, Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas. His experience spans petroleum engineering, reservoir management, field development, project execution, production operations, asset optimization, operational excellence and organizational transformation across complex onshore, offshore, deepwater and integrated gas assets.
His global footprint includes serving as Vice President of Cost Leadership and Continuous Improvement in The Netherlands, and General Manager of Deepwater and Offshore Assets in Nigeria.
Notably, in Qatar Shell, he served as Deputy Vice President Technical and Manager of the North Field. He played a pivotal leadership role in the commissioning and early production phases of the Pearl GTL Project, which is the largest GTL plant in the world and Qatar Gas LNG Trains 7 and 8, world-class mega-projects.
Widely respected for his visionary leadership, Engr. Okon excels in navigating complex operating environments and leading multidisciplinary global teams. His executive brand is defined by a relentless commitment to strategy development, commercial savviness, operational excellence, project delivery, sustainable value creation, innovation, and the mentorship of future energy leaders. He is well positioned to advance Seplat Energy’s ambition as a leading indigenous African energy company, deepen its gas-led growth strategy, strengthen portfolio execution and support Nigeria’s energy security and transition priorities.
He is an alumnus of the University of Benin, Nigeria; IMD Business School, Lausanne; and Harvard Business School, Boston. He is a Fellow of the Energy Institute UK (FEI), Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (FNSE), a registered member of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria and a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers.
He is married to Mrs. Bertha Mary Okon, and they are blessed with four children.