Royal Dutch Shell Wins 'Company of the Year' and Commodity Excellence Honors at Platts Global Energy Awards; 'CEO' Goes to Repsol's Brufau

NEW YORK, Nov. 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Winners from seven countries and three continents took top honors in New York City tonight at the Platts Global Energy Awards, which recognized three industry leaders and 16 companies for exemplary individual and corporate achievement. The awards program, now in its 14(th) year, is one of the energy industry's premier recognition events and often referred to as the "Oscars" of the energy industry.

"Nearly every award entry this year demonstrated a drive for developing creative solutions to the world's energy challenges," said Larry Neal, president of Platts, a leading global energy, petrochemicals and metals information provider and host of the Awards. "Platts congratulates winners and finalists alike for their efforts to promote a secure and socially-responsible energy future."

Antonio Brufau, executive chairman of Spain's integrated oil and gas company Repsol, won 2012 "Chief Executive Officer" honors, besting a competitive list of finalists. While Brufau won accolades for shepherding Repsol's growth in upstream exploration activities, expanding the company into wind power and overseeing a stock boon that has outpaced its European rivals, it was his leadership of the last seven months, judges said, that really set him apart. Within weeks of the Argentine government's sudden expropriation of Repsol subsidiary Yacimientos Petroliferos Fiscales (YPF), Brufau set a course that kept Repsol from potential dismantlement, retained its standing with investors, and positioned it for high-growth ex-YPF.

Netherlands-based Royal Dutch Shell also stood apart from the night's other winners, snagging not one, but two awards - the much sought-after "Energy Company of the Year" and "Commodity Excellence Award for Natural Gas." Judges were impressed by the company's commitment to continual innovation despite the scale of its current operations. Shell's downstream activities in chemical gas-to-liquids technologies development caught the judges' attention, as did its liquefied natural gas (LNG) technologies, which enhance energy efficiency and advance LNG as a transport fuel for trucks, ships and locomotives. The judges also cited Shell's advancements in deepwater drilling, shale development and tight-gas extraction, all of which are helping to drive U.S. energy independence.