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Peter Duncan

Peter Duncan

Peter was born in Buckinghamshire, England in 1941. The family moved to New Zealand in 1949.  He graduated with First Class Honours in Chemical Engineering from Canterbury University, NZ in 1962 and with a post-graduate Diploma in Business Studies (with Distinction) from the London School of Economics in 1965.

He spent most of 1964 in France on a bursary from the French government to work in the French chemical industry.

Peter joined the Royal Dutch/Shell Group of companies in London in 1965 and worked in a diverse range of finance and general management positions throughout the Group. Between 1965 and 1982 he worked in Venezuela, Curacao, London and Singapore, following which he was Managing Director, Shell Switzerland and then Vice President Marketing for Europe in The Hague.  From 1989 to 1992 he was Executive Director Finance and Information, Shell Australia and a board member of Woodside Petroleum Ltd. From 1992 to 1997 he was Chief Executive of Deutsche Shell, a member of the board of the Oil Industry Association in Germany and a member of the advisory board of Commerzbank.

In August 1997 Peter assumed the position of non-Executive Chairman of Shell New Zealand Limited and Shell New Zealand Holding Company Limited. In September 1997 he was appointed to the position of Chief Executive Officer, Shell Oceania; Executive Director Oil Products, Shell Australia Limited and a Director of various Shell Pacific Island companies. From 1999 to 2001 he was Chairman of the Australian Institute of Petroleum.

Peter was appointed Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Shell Group of Companies in Australia on 1st July 1999 and retired from this position at the end of September 2001 on reaching the age of 60.

He is Chairman of Orica Ltd, of Scania Australia Ltd and of the Cranlana Programme Foundation.

He has been a director of the CSIRO (2002 - 2005), NAB (2001 - 2008) and GasNet (2001 - 2005) and a member of the advisory board of Siemens (2001 - 2004).

Peter is a member of the Global Foundation, the Melbourne Club, the Wellington Club in New Zealand, the Kew Golf Club and the Rotary Club of Melbourne.  He is a member of the foundation board of the Very Special Kids Foundation. He is a governor of CEDA. In September 2001 until December 2005, Peter was President of the Australian German Association. He continues to be a member. Peter speaks German, Danish, French and Spanish. On Australia Day 2000 Peter became an Australian citizen.

Peter Duncan is Chairman of The Cranlana Programme Foundation