Erin Energy Corp. has appointed John Hofmeister, a former president at Shell Oil Co., as chairman of the company’s board. The appointment will be effective the day immediately following Erin Energy’s annual meeting of shareholders, expected to take place in late May 2016, when current Chairman and CEO Kase Lawal, has decided to retire as an officer and director.

Erin Energy also announced the appointment of its current chief operating officer, Segun Omidele, as CEO. Like Hofmeister, Omidele will assume the role following the company’s annual meeting in May, starting an orderly leadership transition over the next three months.

Hofmeister, as president of Shell Oil Co., led the company’s U.S. Country Coordination Team of Businesses/Functions of the Shell Group in the U.S. He initiated and managed the portfolio, profitability, people and reputation objectives of U.S. businesses on behalf of Shell’s chief executive, board of directors and shareholders and represented the interests of Shell Group to U.S. stakeholders, including investors, government, communities and the general public.

Hofmeister has also held key executive leadership positions at General Electric, Nortel and Allied Signal (now Honeywell International) and serves on the boards of Hunting and Applus Services SA. He is also a member of the National Petroleum Council in Washington D.C.

Omidele, a 36-year E&P professional, has been with the company since 2011. He also served as senior vice president for E&P for Allied Energy Corp. from 2008 to 2011. Prior to Allied Energy, Omidele held various senior technical and management positions with Shell Oil companies in Nigeria, U.K. and the U.S. for more than 28 years. He holds a master’s degree in petroleum engineering from the University of Houston, and he is a graduate of the Advanced Management Program from Harvard University.