Shell plc was my largest and longest-standing safety culture client. Over time, I noticed a growing disconnect. Climate change was increasingly discussed at corporate level, showcased in glossy reports and presentations. Yet on the operational frontline, I rarely heard meaningful conversations about energy transition or winding down production.

At the same time, the science was becoming impossible to ignore. Extreme weather, ecosystem collapse, displacement and inequality were no longer abstract risks. They were unfolding in real time.

Shell spoke publicly about climate responsibility, net zero and transition, while continuing to expand oil and gas extraction behind the scenes. New projects were approved. Exploration continued. Capital flowed into assets that would lock in emissions for decades and undermine the Paris Agreement.

The final tipping point came through my work connected to Nigeria. As I learned more about Shell’s expansion in the Niger Delta, alongside the legacy of pollution, community harm and worker exploitation, something shifted. I saw clearly how climate change, environmental damage, labour practices and corporate power intersect.

From that point, continuing felt impossible.

When I resigned, I publicly called out Shell’s double-talk on climate change and its failure to treat planetary safety with the same seriousness as operational safety. I knew I was privileged to be able to make that choice. Many people cannot. But staying had become a betrayal of my values.

Leaving was one of the hardest things I have done. What worried me most was not walking away from my biggest client, but leaving operational workers behind. People I respected and who had trusted me. 

I expected backlash. Instead, I experienced something else entirely. Messages came from workers, engineers, managers, marketers, activists and strangers around the world. Many said, “I’ve been feeling this too, but didn’t know how to speak up.”

That response confirmed I had articulated something many people were holding quietly.