Maria Moræus Hanssen
SLB LIMITED/NVAbout Maria Moræus Hanssen
Independent director at SLB since 2020; former Deputy CEO and COO of Wintershall Dea (2019), and former CEO of DEA and ENGIE E&P International; holds Master’s degrees in Petroleum Engineering (NTNU) and in Petroleum Economics & Management (IFP School), plus a Corporate Director Certificate (Harvard Business School, 2021). She is a Norwegian national and was previously disclosed as age 58 in SLB’s 2023 proxy; current age not stated in the 2025 proxy. She brings leadership and operational expertise from multiple E&P CEO roles and policy insight across Norway, Germany, and France.
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wintershall Dea | Deputy CEO & COO | 2019 (post-merger of DEA and Wintershall) | Senior operating leadership at a major European producer |
| DEA Deutsche Erdoel | CEO & Chair of Management Board | 2018–Apr 2019 | Led E&P operations through merger transition |
| ENGIE E&P International (ENGIE Group) | CEO; Head of E&P Business Unit | 2015–2017 | P&L leadership in international E&P |
| Aker | Management & Operations roles | 2008–2013 | Energy/industrial operating roles |
| Statoil (now Equinor) | Management role | 2007–2008 | Energy operations |
| Norsk Hydro | Management & Operations roles | 1992–2007 | Long-tenured engineering/operations experience |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Since/Through | Committees/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Å Energi | Non‑Executive Chair | Jun 2023–present | Non-executive chair of Norwegian energy company |
| Scatec ASA | Director | Apr 2020–present | Audit Committee member |
| Kosmos Energy | Director | May 2023–present | Audit; HSE & Sustainability committees |
| Yara International | Deputy Chair; Audit Committee Chair | 2015–May 2019 | Prior public company board leadership |
| Alfa Laval AB | Director | May 2019–May 2023 | Prior public company directorship |
Board Governance
- Current SLB committee assignments: Chair, New Energy & Innovation; member, Compensation; member, Nominating & Governance. The 2025 committee roster identifies her as Chair of the New Energy & Innovation Committee.
- Independence: The Board determined all director nominees (except the CEO and Mr. Galuccio) are independent under NYSE standards; committee members on Audit, Compensation, and Nominating & Governance meet heightened independence requirements.
- Attendance and engagement: In 2024, directors averaged 98% attendance; no director was below 75%. The Board held 8 meetings (including 4 special), and committees met as follows—Audit: 6; Compensation: 4; Finance: 4; New Energy & Innovation: 3; Nominating & Governance: 4. Independent Chair led executive sessions at each Board meeting.
- Compensation Committee participation: She was a serving member; the committee reported collectively in the 2024 proxy.
Fixed Compensation
- Director pay structure (non‑employee): Annual cash retainer $115,000; $10,000 per committee membership; $20,000 if committee chair (replaces membership fee); Independent Board Chair receives an additional $100,000.
- 2024 cash actually paid to Maria Moræus Hanssen: $155,000.
| Component | 2024 Amount ($) |
|---|---|
| Fees Earned or Paid in Cash | 155,000 |
Notes: The $155,000 cash implies $115,000 base + $10,000 per committee (two committees) + $20,000 for committee chair.
Performance Compensation
- Annual equity grant structure: Approximately $190,000 in SLB common stock to each non-employee director (Board Chair ~$290,000). For 2024, 4,001 shares were granted to each non-employee director on May 1, 2024 (Board Chair received 6,107 shares).
- 2024 stock award grant-date fair value to Maria Moræus Hanssen: $188,688.
| Grant Detail | 2024 Value |
|---|---|
| Equity Type/Amount | 4,001 SLB shares granted May 1, 2024 |
| Grant-Date Fair Value ($) | 188,688 |
Director deferral: Directors may defer cash and/or stock awards under the Directors Stock Plan into stock units or cash alternatives (money market or S&P 500 equivalent); distributions occur at or one year after retirement, per election.
Other Directorships & Interlocks
- Current public boards: Scatec (Audit), Kosmos Energy (Audit; HSE & Sustainability).
- Interlocks/related parties: The Compensation Committee members (which included Maria) were not SLB officers/employees and had no relationships requiring disclosure as related-person transactions in 2024; no executive officer interlocks with other companies’ boards/compensation committees in 2024.
Expertise & Qualifications
- Former CEO of multiple E&P companies; deep operating expertise in upstream oil & gas across Europe.
- Education: M.S. Petroleum Engineering (NTNU); M.S. Petroleum Economics & Management (IFP School); Corporate Director Certificate (Harvard Business School, 2021).
- Board “Reason for Nomination”: Brings leadership/operational expertise and policy insight relevant to SLB; experience addressing energy transition risks.
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Shares Beneficially Owned | % of Class | Pledged |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maria Moræus Hanssen | 25,874 | <1% | None (no shares pledged) |
- Ownership guidelines: Each non‑employee director must own at least 5x the annual cash retainer within 5 years; the proxy states all directors with 5+ years of service are in compliance (names not itemized).
Governance Assessment
- Board effectiveness: Independent director with sector-operating depth; chairs the New Energy & Innovation Committee, aligning with SLB’s energy transition and technology agenda—positive for oversight of innovation risk and capital allocation.
- Independence and conflicts: Determined independent; Compensation Committee members (including Maria) had no related-person transactions and there were no compensation committee interlocks—low conflict risk.
- Engagement: Strong Board engagement culture (98% average attendance; executive sessions at each meeting), supporting effective oversight; no director below 75%.
- Pay alignment: Director pay mix emphasizes equity (approx. $190k in stock annually) alongside modest, formulaic cash (retainer plus committee fees); no increases to director retainer/fees or stock grant value since 2017 (except separating Chair/CEO in 2019), signaling pay discipline.
- Ownership alignment: Meaningful beneficial ownership with no pledging; robust 5x retainer guideline and available stock deferral program further align incentives.
- Shareholder context: Say‑on‑pay support for executives was ~97% at the 2023 AGM, indicating broad investor support for compensation governance at SLB (contextual signal on governance environment).
Potential watch items (not red flags):
- Multiple external board commitments (Kosmos, Scatec, Å Energi chair) create time‑commitment considerations, though 2024 attendance thresholds were met across the Board and committees.
No RED FLAGS identified in filings regarding: related‑party transactions, pledging/hedging (pledge status: none), or attendance shortfalls.