Monroe Spaght
Monroe Edward Spaght | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date |
| Died | June 27, 1993 (aged 83) |
| Occupation(s) | Chemist, corporate executive |
| Known for | President and chairman of Shell Oil Company; first American managing director of Royal Dutch Petroleum Company |
Monroe Edward Spaght (December 9, 1909 – June 27, 1993) was a chemist specializing in research who advanced to hold the positions of president and chairman at Shell Oil Company. In 1965, he distinguished himself as the first American to serve as managing director of the Royal Dutch Petroleum Company, the parent organization of Shell.
Early life
He completed his BS, MA, and PhD degrees at Stanford University and pursued studies in physics at the University of Leipzig.
Career
Spaght commenced his career with Shell in 1933 as a research scientist. He rose through the ranks to become president of Shell Development Company in 1949, followed by executive vice president of Shell Oil in 1953. He was named president in 1961 and assumed the role of chairman in 1965.
That same year, he was appointed one of seven managing directors at Royal Dutch Shell headquartered in London. The company revised its bylaws to permit the inclusion of a managing director who was neither British nor Dutch. At this time, Royal Dutch Petroleum operated approximately 500 subsidiaries globally.
Although Spaght retired from active management in 1970, he continued to serve on the boards of Royal Dutch and Shell for an additional ten years.
Corporate philosophy
Spaght advocated for the Greek concept of arete, meaning excellence, as a fundamental value within Shell. He viewed it as representing the highest development of one’s capabilities and encouraged leadership to embrace this ideal.
Selected works
Spaght authored a total of twelve works published in fifteen editions across two languages.
- 1965 – The Bright Key: Thoughts on the Relation of Business to Research and Education, New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts.
- 1978 – The Multinational Corporation: Its Manners, Methods and Myths, Pittsburgh: Carnegie-Mellon University Press.
- 1985 – The Long Road from Eureka: An Autobiography, England: self-published.
Honors
- Order of Francisco de Miranda (Venezuela), awarded in 1968
- Order of Orange-Nassau (Netherlands), received in 1970
- A chemistry Chair at Stanford University bears his name; the Monroe E. Spaght Professor of Chemistry is currently held by Edward I. Solomon
References
- Collins, Louise Mooney et al. (1994) The Annual Obituary 1993: 1789 to the Present. Detroit, Michigan: St. James Press. ; OCLC 31307435