Mutiu Sunmonu named Julius Berger director

Mutiu Sunmonu, country chair, Shell Companies in Nigeria and managing director, Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC), has been named a director of the Nigerian construction firm, Julius Berger, on January 1, 2015.

Sunmonu, with his wealth of experience in the energy sector, will be a major asset for Julius Berger that was recently chosen by General Electric to build a plant for the manufacture of gas turbines in Calabar, Cross Rivers State.

Sunmonu joined Shell in August 1978 as a computer programmer/business analyst, following his graduation from the University of Lagos with a first class degree in Mathematics and Computer Science. Between 1983 and 1986, he was a senior EDP auditor, a role in which he was responsible for operational audit of computer systems, business applications, as well as the computing and network environment. He proceeded to the Shell UK Expro Aberdeen in 1990 where he had a three-year stint as information planner/portfolio consultant.

On his return to Nigeria in September 1993, he was appointed head, IT infrastructure services, and became IT manager of SPDC in October 1995. 1997 was to mark a turning point in Sunmonu’s SPDC career, as he moved from the IT function to the core production area of the business. He first worked as area production manager, overseeing some 10 producing fields, and was two years later appointed asset manager, Southern Swamp Area, with responsibility for 12 producing fields.

Prior to his appointment on January 1, 2008 as the managing director of SPDC and regional vice president, production, Sunmonu had since February 2006 been SPDC’s executive director, production, with overall accountability for the company’s oil and gas production activities and delivery. This included the management of the company’s commitment to its key customers, including NLNG, domestic gas customers, and the refineries, especially against the backdrop of the volatility in SPDC’s operating environment.