Andrew Cates

This is the homepage of Andrew Cates. I work as UK CEO for a children's charity (SOS Children) and also sit on the audit committee of Cambridge University. My main interests outside my work are my children (I have three), science (maths but also a "garage" project on improving water in the developing world), religion (I am an Anglican and on our church PCC) and Africa. I am also an enthusiastic follower of the open software movement in general and wikis in particular, contribute widely to Wikipedia (where I have been made an administrator), and enjoy the internet a great deal.

Working for Shell 1989-2004

I first worked for Shell in Fire and Explosion Research 1989-1991 straight out of my PhD. I then returned briefly to Cambridge as a research fellow at Emmanuel before rejoining Shell in 1992. I left Cambridge only 6 months into a three year fellowship, partly because Shell approached me with an interesting offer. I enjoyed working for Shell, and despite the view of others always found it pretty ethical and remarkably green. I was lucky to be given considerable responsibility whilst still young. I rejoined in strategy consultancy but the real challenge was being sent to become country manager for Shell in Cote d'Ivoire in 1993 running an entirely French-speaking joint venture with the Ivorian government. Shell took a big risk putting a 27 year old with little real experience and bad French as the only European into a substantial diverse business. The company turned from heavy losses to healthy profit in my time there (long story, big changes and a fair bit of luck) and when I returned to the UK in 1996 (leaving a little piece of my soul in Africa) this success gained me a significant promotion as co-ordinating manager for pretty much everything Shell sold to ships worldwide.

It was great fun doing conference key note speeches and Singapore breakfast TV. However when I was appointed there was recognition that "soft coordination" wasn't good enough for a competitive international business and I was expected to implement rapid change. After some effort building consensus it became a true global business (with a ten figure turnover) where I was the first CEO. Another double promotion followed and I was put in charge of all the fragments of Shell operated gas and power business in Europe (including Shell Gas Direct, Shell Energy Trading and some big pieces in other countries) in the run up to deregulation and the breakdown of borders. More challenge and more success. I had the pleasure of forming a joint venture with Eneco in the Netherlands (the only time I've been a "joint CEO"), doing splendid German press conferences ("Herr Dr Cates") and being the signatory of a $909m tolling contract to allow construction of a new power plant in the Basque region of Spain. The strategy work around the European Gas market (which delivers in aggregate billions of dollars of profit to Shell through one of the most complicated sets of long term contracts imaginable) was good fun: it felt like being chess grand master (not that I really know what that feels like).

Working for a Children's Charity

Then I did a (dramatic) downshift and now I work for a children's charity. It was less dramatic for me than it seemed to others: I had been planning some sort of move since two close African friends from my time in Cote d'Ivoire died leaving children, and I actually left later than I had intended (well, the financial loss of income was eye-watering...). The charity helps children who have lost their parents and especially helps: AIDS Orphans.

I own several other websites (which between them have many thousands of unique IP visitors a day) including the the John Leech Cartoon Archive and the Wikipedia Selection for Schools. This site contains:

A book: Letter to Peter which is a discussion on the meaning of life and the evolution of beliefs written from a Christian perspective, addressed to one of my godsons.

Maths corner which is a bit empty and I keep hoping to have time to add to.

Suffolk where I am going to put some more information about Suffolk where I have recently moved.

My experiences of child sponsorship. Despite the various arguments I think it is a good thing to sponsor a child, and would recommend it.