Effiong Okon: Meet UNIBEN alumnus named incoming Seplat CEO

Seplat Energy Plc has named Engr. Effiong Okon as its incoming Chief Executive Officer, effective August 1, 2026, marking a major leadership transition for one of Nigeria’s leading indigenous oil and gas companies as it deepens its focus on gas and energy transition.

The announcement is according to a notice filed on the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) on Tuesday and signed by the company secretary, Edith Onwuchekwa.

Okon currently serves as Managing Director of the ANOH Gas Processing Company (AGPC), a key midstream joint venture between Seplat Energy Plc and NNPC Limited.

In this role, he oversees the development and delivery of the 300MMscfd ANOH gas plant project, a strategic infrastructure designed to supply dry gas, condensates and LPG to support Nigeria’s domestic energy demand and industrial growth.

Effiong Okon’s education and background 

Okon studied engineering at the University of Benin(UNIBEN), Nigeria. He is also an alumnus of IMD Business School, Lausanne, Switzerland and Harvard Business School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

He is a Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers and a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers.

Early career and experience 

He began his professional career in 1992 as a Petroleum Reservoir Engineer with Shell, one of the world’s largest integrated energy companies.

This marked the start of a 20-plus-year tenure at Shell, where he developed deep technical expertise in reservoir engineering, production optimisation, offshore operations, and field development.

Over the course of his career at Shell, Okon held several senior leadership positions across Nigeria and international operations, including Chief Reservoir Engineer, General Manager Offshore Assets, General Manager Deepwater Production, Deputy Vice President Technical, and Vice President for Cost Leadership and Continuous Improvement.

In these roles, he was responsible for managing large offshore production portfolios, multi-disciplinary engineering teams, and complex deepwater assets across Africa, the Middle East, Europe and the United States.

His work at Shell also involved overseeing multi-billion-dollar operating and capital expenditure portfolios, driving production efficiency, improving asset integrity systems, and implementing cost optimisation and continuous improvement programmes. He played a key role in strengthening operational performance across offshore and deepwater assets while ensuring safety and regulatory compliance in highly complex environments.

In 2018, Okon joined Seplat Energy Plc as Executive Director, Operations. In this capacity, he was responsible for overall production delivery, operational performance, asset integrity and safety leadership across the company’s upstream portfolio. He also championed business transformation initiatives aimed at improving operational efficiency, production reliability and cost discipline.

In 2022, he was appointed Director, New Energy, where he led Seplat’s energy transition agenda. His responsibilities included developing integrated gas business opportunities, advancing power generation initiatives, and supporting the company’s decarbonisation strategy.

He also worked on expanding investments in gas-to-power, LNG, LPG and renewable energy solutions as part of Seplat’s broader shift toward a lower-carbon energy mix.

Across his career, Okon has built a reputation for combining deep technical expertise with strong leadership in operational excellence, project execution and strategic transformation.

Seplat Energy Plc has named Engr. Effiong Okon as its incoming Chief Executive Officer, effective August 1, 2026, marking a major leadership transition for one of Nigeria’s leading indigenous oil and gas companies as it deepens its focus on gas and energy transition.

The announcement is according to a notice filed on the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) on Tuesday and signed by the company secretary, Edith Onwuchekwa.

Okon currently serves as Managing Director of the ANOH Gas Processing Company (AGPC), a key midstream joint venture between Seplat Energy Plc and NNPC Limited.

In this role, he oversees the development and delivery of the 300MMscfd ANOH gas plant project, a strategic infrastructure designed to supply dry gas, condensates and LPG to support Nigeria’s domestic energy demand and industrial growth.

Effiong Okon’s education and background 

Okon studied engineering at the University of Benin(UNIBEN), Nigeria. He is also an alumnus of IMD Business School, Lausanne, Switzerland and Harvard Business School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

He is a Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers and a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers.

Early career and experience 

He began his professional career in 1992 as a Petroleum Reservoir Engineer with Shell, one of the world’s largest integrated energy companies.

This marked the start of a 20-plus-year tenure at Shell, where he developed deep technical expertise in reservoir engineering, production optimisation, offshore operations, and field development.

Over the course of his career at Shell, Okon held several senior leadership positions across Nigeria and international operations, including Chief Reservoir Engineer, General Manager Offshore Assets, General Manager Deepwater Production, Deputy Vice President Technical, and Vice President for Cost Leadership and Continuous Improvement.

In these roles, he was responsible for managing large offshore production portfolios, multi-disciplinary engineering teams, and complex deepwater assets across Africa, the Middle East, Europe and the United States.

His work at Shell also involved overseeing multi-billion-dollar operating and capital expenditure portfolios, driving production efficiency, improving asset integrity systems, and implementing cost optimisation and continuous improvement programmes. He played a key role in strengthening operational performance across offshore and deepwater assets while ensuring safety and regulatory compliance in highly complex environments.

In 2018, Okon joined Seplat Energy Plc as Executive Director, Operations. In this capacity, he was responsible for overall production delivery, operational performance, asset integrity and safety leadership across the company’s upstream portfolio. He also championed business transformation initiatives aimed at improving operational efficiency, production reliability and cost discipline.

In 2022, he was appointed Director, New Energy, where he led Seplat’s energy transition agenda. His responsibilities included developing integrated gas business opportunities, advancing power generation initiatives, and supporting the company’s decarbonisation strategy.

He also worked on expanding investments in gas-to-power, LNG, LPG and renewable energy solutions as part of Seplat’s broader shift toward a lower-carbon energy mix.

Across his career, Okon has built a reputation for combining deep technical expertise with strong leadership in operational excellence, project execution and strategic transformation.