On Sept. 14 it was announced that Shell — among the largest companies in the world and the largest oil producer in the Gulf of Mexico — would not only be keeping its Gulf of Mexico operations headquarters in New Orleans, it would be constructing a new, 142,000-square-foot multi-floor office building that would serve as a much-needed anchor for the emerging River District neighborhood of New Orleans.
In addition to ensuring that more than 800 jobs will stay in New Orleans, the new headquarters will be the first major office space in the River District and the first Class A office building to be constructed in New Orleans since 1989. It is scheduled to open in late 2024 or early 2025.
Described by GNO, Inc., President and CEO Michael Hecht as “one of the biggest economic development wins for New Orleans in a decade,” the decision would not have happened without the championing of one woman: New Orleans native Colette Hirstius.
In 2021, after almost two decades at Shell — including time spent in Alaska, Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago, and West Africa — Hirstius was named head of the company’s Gulf of Mexico operations.
She has credited her New Orleans upbringing to helping her succeed with the energy giant. A graduate of St. Mary’s Dominican High School and Tulane University, where she earned a bachelor of science degree in geology, Hirstius said she is committed to helping her home town.
“Our Gulf of Mexico operations were born here, and this move allows us to be as vital to the city’s vibrant future as we have been foundational to its past,” said Hirstius at the Nov. 19 groundbreaking of the River District. “As the global demand for energy continues to grow, lower carbon oil and gas like that produced in the Gulf of Mexico will remain critical in ensuring a balanced energy transition.”
Hirstius is firmly focused on the company’s future in the Gulf, and in her hometown, at a time when the energy industry is expanding and changing.
“This year is the 45th anniversary of our deepwater business, and I am proud that we are still finding new ways to harness the innovation of our people here in Louisiana, not just to do what we’ve always done, but to do it in ways that lower our carbon footprint to meet the new challenges we face as a society.”
