Quennie Co, managing director at Shell Ventures, is one of the 100 leading corporate venturing professionals in our 2026 Powerlist.
When Quennie Co stepped into the leadership of Shell’s corporate VC unit as managing director in late 2024, the mandate was clear: invest in the future of energy to deliver more value with less emissions.
Co began her career in banking with HSBC before joining Shell. Her breadth of experience, both inside and outside of Shell, has provided her with a strategically grounded, commercial lens on corporate venturing.
“At Shell Ventures, we’re continuously raising the bar – sharpening our investment focus, strengthening portfolio management and strategically deploying capital to deliver operational and commercial value,” she said.
“As one of the energy sector’s longest-standing CVCs, collaboration has always been central to how we operate. Over nearly three decades, our ecosystem of innovators, investors and business partners, alongside our diverse and experienced team, has enabled us to build the relationships and insight needed to scale technologies and deliver innovation across the energy sector.”
That ecosystem thinking is reflected in a consistent pace of dealmaking since Co took over. This has included Shell Ventures co-leading a series A investment in Supercritical Solutions, a UK-based developer of high-pressure green hydrogen technology. The partnership has already led to a collaboration agreement with Shell, building on a strong track record of Shell businesses supporting R&D and deploying solutions from across the ventures’ portfolio.
Co strives to maintain a balanced and manageable portfolio, delivering selected exits, including a recent M&A transaction with Travis Road Services. This approach has been underpinned by deeper collaboration and knowledge sharing within Shell, helping to maximise value and identify opportunities to enhance core business strategy.
Enhanced strategic focus has seen the portfolio increasingly cluster around low carbon solutions, electrification, mobility, emissions management, resources and digital infrastructure, which is the connective tissue of a decarbonising global economy.
This is less about chasing climate tech headlines and more about underwriting technologies that Shell itself can deploy at scale.
As a new entrant to CVC, Co has delivered a step change in performance, strengthening strategic alignment and driving value through deployment and returns, while also building a high-performing team.
The GCV Powerlist represents the 100 individuals spearheading the future of the corporate venturing industry.
These individuals excel in terms of their venturing approach and structure, number and quality of portfolio companies and in their contributions to the corporate venturing profession.
Here’s a snapshot of their recent deals:
