Departing Shell chief Ann Pickard faces icy challenge THE number of powerful business women on the local scene is to become even more sparse with the return of Shell's boss for Australia, Ann Pickard, to her native America, where she will become executive vice-president of Shell's environmentally controversial exploration and production interests in the Arctic. In a move that is expected to be confirmed today, Ms Pickard will be replaced as Shell's Australian chairman and its executive vice-president for exploration and production activities here by Australian Andrew Smith.