Shell Is Closing In on Exxon's Crown

Profit at Anglo-Dutch major set to surpass U.S. rival for first time this century

The Royal Dutch Shell Plc logo sits above the company's first U.K. hydrogen refueling station in Cobham, U.K., on Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2017. Shell, crafting a strategy to wean itself off oil, is expanding its operations in the refueling market for hydrogen cars.Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg

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By Kelly Gilblom

January 25, 2018 at 5:01 AM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

Even in the dynamic world of business, some things always hold true: the Big Mac outsells the Whopper, Google gets more searches than Bing, and Exxon Mobil Corp. is the world’s biggest public oil company. Or perhaps not.

Royal Dutch Shell Plc is the closest it’s ever been to attaining the long-coveted prize of overtaking its American rival. While the Anglo-Dutch oil major still has some work left to snatch Exxon’s crown, Chief Executive Officer Ben van Beurden has made getting to the top his restless mission.