Who was the Managing Director of the Asiatic Petroleum Company?

• A. Marcus Samuel
• B. Robert Waley Cohen
• C. Henri Deterding
• D. Charles Greenway

Answer: (C)

The statement tests knowledge of who led the Asiatic Petroleum Company, the Asia-focused arm created to manage oil business under the Anglo‑Dutch partnership. The Managing Director for that operation was Henri Deterding, a key Dutch executive who coordinated the Dutch and British sides of the partnership and later steered the broader Royal Dutch Shell organization. His leadership of the APC fits with his central role in shaping the early multinational oil enterprise, aligning Asia operations with the parent companies. The other individuals were important figures in Shell’s history or related ventures, but they did not serve as the Managing Director of the Asiatic Petroleum Company.