Updated

Anglo-Dutch energy giant Royal Dutch Shell said on Tuesday that it has appointed downstream director Ben van Beurden as its new chief executive.

"The board of Royal Dutch Shell plc today announced that Ben van Beurden will succeed Peter Voser as chief executive officer, effective 1 January 2014," it said in a statement, adding that Voser would leave Shell in March 2014 after 29 years with the company.