Arie de Geus

Arie de Geus joined Royal Dutch/Shell in 1951 and remained with the company for 38 years. He worked in Turkey, Belgium, and Brazil before returning to the United Kingdom in 1979. Arie assumed regional responsibility for Shell's businesses in Africa and South Asia and then, in 1981, became coordinator for Group Planning. During his last 10 years at Shell, Arie became increasingly interested in the nature of large corporations, their decision-making processes, and the management of change and he is widely credited with originating the concept of the learning organization.

Since his retirement from Shell in 1989, Arie has headed an advisory group to the World Bank and consults with government and private institutions. He is a visiting fellow at London Business School, and a board member of the Nijenrode Learning Centre in the Netherlands.