Royal Dutch Shell has announced more changes to its top legal team, including the appointment of a new general counsel of the downstream sector.

Richard Hill, who has been the company's general counsel of global litigation since 2015, has been appointed to the role of general counsel for the firm's downstream sector and will be based in London.

He replaces incumbent Martin Bambridge in the role, who has left the group due to health reasons, the company said in a statement.

The downstream sector is the refining of petroleum crude oil, the processing and purifying of raw natural gas, and the marketing and distribution of products derived from crude oil and natural gas. It includes products that reach consumers, such as gasoline or petrol, kerosene, jet fuel, diesel oil, heating oil, fuel oils and lubricants.

Meanwhile, Houston-based Shell lawyer Kimberly Phillips will take over Hill's role as general counsel of global litigation. She had previously been associate general counsel of global litigation for the Americas.

"I am delighted to welcome Kimberly to the Shell legal leadership team, and Richard to his new role," Shell legal director Donny Ching said in a statement. "Both will play a critical role in enabling legal to continue partnering with Shell's businesses to deliver our strategy and navigate the opportunities and risks of the unfolding energy transition."

Ching also said he is grateful to Bambridge for bringing his "deep experience, insight, humour and great leadership" to the legal leadership team while the legal department went through considerable change during the past few years.

In September, Shell appointed a new group chief ethics and compliance officer and general counsel of compliance, Michael Coates. He succeeded Shell's former chief ethics and compliance officer Leanne Geale, who left to join Nestlé as executive vice-president and general counsel at the end of July.