In the 1990s, Shell decided that Lensbury should be seen not as exclusively a "staff benefit" but as a "profit centre". Driven by the Shell Group's new chairman J.S. Jennings, and implemented by the new Chairman of the Club, Clive Mather, changes were instituted that were designed first to reduce and then to eliminate Shell's subsidy.
In the 1990s, Shell transformed Lensbury from a staff benefit into a profit-generating entity. This transformation was spearheaded by J.S. Jennings, the new chairman of the Shell Group, and Clive Mather, who took over as chairman of the Club. Their aim was to reduce and eventually eliminate Shell's financial support for Lensbury.