How Shell Ventures increased its impact in the energy transition

“The process helped us confront some personal and group dynamics that weren’t working well. In a practical sense, it led to an improved leadership structure and better quality decisions.”

Challenge

Shell Ventures is Shell’s investment company and its mission is to help accelerate energy and mobility transformation and increase their impact and role in the energy transition.

How to disrupt the business model and accelerate their mission

Shell Ventures invests and collaborates with leading companies that can play a role in the energy transition. The innovative solutions they invest in reduce costs, reduce emissions, help to renew our energy system and help to gain data-based insights. In addition to the technologies themselves, Shell Ventures serves as Shell’s eyes and ears within the startup ecosystem, providing valuable insights. With that in mind, Shell Ventures wanted to become more than a traditional venture capitalist and connect more with the parent company. After years of intensive growth, with hubs around the world, Shell Ventures also needed to create a more cohesive structure and bond within the team to fulfill their mission: to accelerate the transformation of energy and mobility.

Geert van de Wouw, Managing Director at Shell Ventures, enlisted Bolster’s help to accelerate the pace by analyzing and strengthening the mission.

Request to Bolster

How can Shell Ventures be a facilitator for Shell?
How can Shell Ventures become a global leader in corporate venture capital?
How can Shell Ventures improve their teamwork while working remotely in global hubs?
Can Bolster support change management in the turnaround year?

Approach

Bolster has helped Shell Ventures define their role as Shell’s external ‘eyes and ears’ in the energy company ecosystem, enabling them to provide valuable insights by identifying disruptive trends early and investing in new technologies and business models that can make a real ‘dent’ in the energy system when deployed at scale.
We developed a guideline and strategy for Shell Ventures, working closely with the Vice President and his team.
We did a Leadership offsite development program with the global team to support them in the culture change needed in the new strategy. The program consisted of:
- Personal development (individual coaching)
- Team development (team building, way of working, organizational design, diversity)> The process helped us face some personal and group dynamics that were not working well. In a practical sense, it led to an improved leadership structure and better quality decisions.”

Results

Shell Ventures has become more structured and purposeful in its approach.
Shell Ventures has refined its mission and value proposition.
Shell Ventures improved the performance and cohesion of its teams in Europe, the US, and Asia, aligning them behind a ‘North Star’.