FILE PHOTO: The logo of Royal Dutch Shell is seen at a petrol station in Sint-Pieters-Leeuw, Belgium January 30, 2019. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Royal Dutch Shell has promoted its current Australia chief, Zoe Yujnovich, to the role of executive vice president for conventional oil and gas from Jan. 1, based in the group’s headquarters in The Hague, Shell Australia said on Friday.

In her new role, Yujnovich will report to Shell’s upstream director and be responsible for delivering growth across 18 countries, including Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Oman, the UK and Iraq.

Yujnovich, an Australian, joined Shell in Canada in 2014 from the mining industry and since February 2017 has run its Australian business, which accounts for about a quarter of the group’s invested capital.

She oversaw the completion of Shell’s first floating liquefied natural gas (LNG) project, Prelude, which finally shipped its first LNG cargo in June this year after overcoming a number of start-up problems.

The current head of eastern Australian operations, Tony Nunan, has been promoted to succeed Yujnovich as country chair for Australia, Shell Australia said.

“(Australia) is integral to our global strategy to lead in LNG and move into power to provide more and cleaner energy ... in the decades ahead,” Yujnovich said in a statement.