Symposium Context

Not “Energy Transition,” but “Energy Evolution.” In recent years, Energy Transition has gained popularity as a term, however, it is a narrow, limited view of the dynamics at play and severely underestimates the energy requirements that must be fulfilled, and the complexities involved.

We do not need a transition. We need an evolution.

At the Houston Strategy Forum, through the vigorous discussions at our recent symposiums, we have developed the concept of E21 (e-twenty-one) — Energy Evolution for the 21st Century. E21 is an overarching concept, providing greater clarity and context to address holistically humanity’s energy needs.

E21 encompasses enhancements and developments in multiple dimensions including:
• Volume of Energy to meet the needs of a thriving and growing global economy
• Sources and Diversity of Energy including zero-to-low-carbon fossil fuels, renewables, hydrogen, nuclear, hydropower, etc.
• Reduction in the Environmental Impact of energy production, transportation, and consumption
• Ensuring and enhancing of ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) objectives
• Accessibility of Energy worldwide including in the remotest regions
• Reliability of Energy during extreme weather events
• Affordability of Energy , so even the poorest can afford it
• Security of Energy
• Energy efficiency
• Reduction in Energy Waste
• Profits Generation and growth of Commercial opportunities
• Sense of Urgency to deliver on these dimensions• We invite you to add additional dimensions…


Energy is critical for the welfare of humanity and a thriving global economy. With great power comes great responsibility. Energy must be produced, transported, delivered, and consumed in a responsible and environmentally sound manner. We need ecosystems of companies, industries and regions working together to evolve and enhance the world’s energy capabilities.

On August 30th, we are inviting the top leaders of major organizations that produce, transport, deliver, and importantly consume energy. In addition, we are inviting leaders of organizations that serve these industries and help facilitate the value creation. Our goal is to facilitate an open, thoughtful and probing discussion on Energy Evolution for the 21st Century.

Humanity demands big thinking when it comes to E21! Join us to hear big ideas from our speakers and contribute your big ideas during the discussion.



We are looking forward to a powerful discussion with:

Opening Keynote Discussion

• Ms. Gretchen Watkins, President, Shell USA

Closing Keynote Discussion

• Ms. Melody Meyer, Board Member, BP, AbbVie, NOV

Panel Discussion

• Mr. Tom Reichert, Global CEO, ERM

• Mr. Parker Meeks, President and Interim CEO, Hyzon Motors

• Mr. Corey Hessen, President, Power & Storage, TC Energy

• Mr. Luca Zanotti, President, Tenaris

Symposium Context

A significant realignment of expectations has propelled the world’s energy companies to the forefront of the low carbon economy transition. The world’s energy cycle is undergoing a significant transformation and all options are on the table. How energy is discovered, produced, and consumed within planetary boundaries is top of mind with stakeholders, investors and within board rooms.

Managing carbon while delivering reliable energy to meet growing demand is a huge opportunity for the oil and gas industry. Amid these ever-increasing demands from investors, lenders, and customers, which strategies should energy companies adopt to decarbonize their operations and diversify their product portfolios to achieve net-zero across the value chain? How should they track and account for carbon?

Energy reinvention is here! How are we going to seize the moment to create the environmentally safe value that society and shareholders expect?

Our Panel Speakers

• Ms. Susan Angyal, CEO, North America, Environmental Resources Management

• Mr. Nicholas Gole, Senior Managing Director, Macquarie Capital

• Mr. Ed Graham, Vice President Ventures, Low Carbon Solutions, ExxonMobil

• Mr. Omar Khayum, Vice President, Head of Renewables, TC Energy

• Mr. James R. McDonald, President, Americas Land, Schlumberger

• Ms. Caitlin Tessin, Vice President, Strategy & Market Innovation, Enbridge



• Mr. Anthony Cottone, Sr. Director - Strategy & Sustainability, Occidental

• Mr. Aaron Doughty, Managing Director, Emerging Energy, Phillips 66

• Ms. Robin Fielder, Executive Vice President, Low Carbon Strategy & Chief Sustainability Officer, Talos Energy

• Mr. Steve Gassen, Senior Vice President, Carbon Solutions, Schlumberger

• Mr. Chris Powers, Vice President, Carbon Capture, Utilization, & Storage (CCUS), Chevron New Energies

• Mr. Dilanka Seimon, Vice President, Alternative Energy, Energy Transfer

Symposium Context

Several oil & gas analysts have forecasted the scenario of a multi-year super-cycle in oil. In the midst of the pandemic, many analysts including the Economist magazine had called the end of the oil era and declared demand will never grow again. If the current multi-year high prices for natural gas and oil are any indication the future may surprise us yet again.

Is there going to be a super-cycle for oil? Or is it hyperbole? Which strategies should the oil & gas industry adopt? How should companies prepare themselves if a super-cycle manifests into a reality? How will energy transition and ESG considerations play a role in such strategies. How can the industry achieve both — deliver energy to meet the needs of a potential super-cycle while fulfilling ESG considerations?

These are important questions which will impact the industry, the Houston region, and the global economy. The Houston Strategy Forum is inviting the top executives for a vibrant discussion, so we can all prepare better. Participate in this important discussion at the Upstream Strategic Symposium.

Keynote Discussions

• Mr. Greg Hill, President and Chief Operating Officer, Hess Corporation

• Mr. Liam M Mallon, President, Upstream Oil & Gas, ExxonMobil

Onshore Panel

• Mr. Steve Chesher, Vice President, Drilling, EQT

• Ms. Helen Currie, Chief Economist, ConocoPhillips

• Mr. Dean Foreman, Chief Economist, API

• Mr. Greg Lalicker, Chief Executive Officer, Hilcorp Energy

• Mr. Daniel N. Wesson, Executive Vice President, Operations, Diamondback Energy

Offshore Panel

• Mr. Richard Clark, President, Gulf of Mexico Business Unit, Kosmos Energy

• Mr. David Hartz, Head of Land, Regulatory and Government Affairs, Equinor

• Ms. Tracey Henderson, Senior Vice President, Exploration, Apache Corporation

• Ms. Kim McHugh, Vice President, Wells, Chevron

Symposium Context

What does it take to deliver a consistent string of project successes?

Even in this age of super technology and well-thought-out best practices, according to many studies, projects struggle to deliver on stated objectives. Which are the key drivers that affect the success of a project? Can you manage and execute projects with the efficiency and predictability of an assembly line?

What are project-driven businesses doing to build cohesive strategies for executing projects that deliver repeatable and consistent performance?

Panel Speakers

• Mr. Steve Conway, SVP, Process Chemicals Americas, Wood

• Mr. Jim Ellis, VP Global Construction, Microsoft Corp

• Mr. Pasquale (Pat) Ficara, Vice President - Global Projects, LyondellBasell

• Mr. Brandon Spencer, Division President, ABB

• Mr. Rod Ragan, President, Energy Allied International

• Mr. Erik Wiik, President, ReAdapt

Symposium Context

The pandemic forced every supply change to change. Leading change is a difficult challenge even for the best of leaders.

The Oil & Gas sector has been going through extreme volatility. Some forecast a multi-year, super-cycle in the future. Others predict supply will overwhelm demand and cause prices to head back down. One thing is sure -- volatility will continue in the future. Oil & Gas Supply Chains must learn to evolve faster than the market. Leading change clearly and cohesively is super-critical for the survival and thrival of this industry!

The Houston Strategy Forum is inviting top O&G supply chain executives to participate in an interactive and vigorous discussion on leading change.

Owner/Operator Panel

• Mr. Steve Freeman, Chief Procurement Officer, Chevron

• Mr. Tom Sims, VP Global Supply Chain and CPO, Hess Corporation

• Mr. Colin Stevenson, Chief Procurement Officer, ConocoPhillips

Supplier Panel

• Ms. Gwen Boyault, VP Planning and Supply chain, Schlumberger

• Mr. Bertrand Frischmann, Senior Vice President, Vallourec

• Mr. Peter Goebel, Vice President, Procurement and Supply Chain, Nabors Industries

• Mr. Dan Pratt, Sr. Executive Vice President - Energy Centers, DistributionNOW

• Mr. Jerry Wilie, Vice President Global Procurement, Materials, and Logistics, Halliburton

Workshop Context

After the brutal pandemic, 2022 is expected to be an up-cycle year for the Houston economy.

Make sure you use the “right” strategic planning process to ensure your team is ready to maximize its performance in 2022. Traditional strategic planning methods are inadequate in addressing all the moving parts in an organization.

Join us for this workshop, where we will help every participant develop a strategy for their team/business unit/company or one for their own career growth.

The workshop's open discussions have been an eye-opening experience for past attendees.

Workshop Leader

Mr. Ravi Kathuria, President, Houston Strategy Forum, will guide the participants in answering key, thought-provoking questions regarding their business and translate them into strategic principles. He will help participants operationalize their strategic thrust for 2022.

The workshop will be based on the comprehensive management method — The Cohegic Method^TM. It is a powerful, holistic method that will put your strategic thinking on a stronger foundation and help your organization ensure Clarity and Cohesion, the two most important drivers for sustained success.

Symposium Context

In recent weeks, US natural gas prices have soared due to hot weather & LNG export boom. Outages and strong demand in Asia, Latin America, and Europe have driven LNG prices to levels not seen since 2015.

Natural gas is projected to be the only fossil fuel that will see substantial demand growth over the next two decades. The US is the biggest producer and consumer of natural gas in the world. The U.S. is also the world’s fastest-growing LNG exporter. Last year the U.S. was the 3rd largest LNG exporter, but just five years earlier the U.S. ranked 18th globally in LNG exports.

Global electricity demand is growing faster than renewables, driving strong increase in generation from fossil fuels. How big a role will natural gas and LNG have in decarbonizing the world?

What is the long-term future of natural gas & LNG? What are the competitive threats to gas and LNG? How big a role will renewables play? What will be the role of Hydrogen?

How are companies in the gas sector positioning themselves to create innovative value? Are there new and exciting applications for natural gas?

How could technology help supply chains deal with black swan events like the pandemic?

We are looking forward to hosting the following esteemed speakers in a powerful discussion:

• Mr. Raj Mohindroo, President, Global Gas & LNG Strategies LLC (conference chair)

• Mr. Paul Bieniawski, Chief Executive Officer, Enstor (confirmed)

• Mr. Marco Caccavale, VP of Sales Turbomachinery & Process Solutions, Baker Hughes (confirmed)

• Mr. Nicholas Gole, Senior Managing Director, Macquarie Capital (confirmed)

• Ms. Michele Harradence, Senior Vice President and Chief Operations Officer, Gas Transmission and Midstream Business Unit, Enbridge (confirmed)

• Mr. David E. Jetter, Partner, Baker Botts (confirmed)

• Mr. Omar Khayum, Vice President, TC Energy (confirmed)

• Mr. Keith Meyer, President & CEO, LNG Central (confirmed)

Strategic Conclave Context

The September 29, 2021, Energy Transition Symposium generated a vibrant, robust, and at times, respectful but slightly contentious discussion. The feedback from the attendees was phenomenal with requests for follow up meetings to take the discussion forward.

These Strategic Conclave series are designed for an in-depth discussion with the goal of producing tangible takeaways. The conclave provides each participant the opportunity to shape the dialog and outcome of the discussions.

Conclaves are a great venue to learn from peers, present new ideas, debate ideas, sharpen your thoughts and messages, and improve the articulation of your ideas. The discussions are meant to stimulate your thinking and help you solve challenges you may be facing at work, with clients and partners.

Symposium Context

Energy transition is becoming a top focus area for oil and gas companies. Every transition has its challenges. How does the industry ensure a smooth and successful transition?

Which initiatives have companies put in place to achieve energy transition? What is the level of focus, commitment, and what are the criteria for success? How is the organization design, and skills set being retooled?

How should the US develop a policy that will help companies achieve successful energy transition? Which factors – environmental, regulation & policy, activism, financial investments, new generational thinking – will prove to be the most potent in driving and sustaining energy transition? How should the different sources of energy be prioritized? Which hold the biggest promise, and the biggest risk?

We are looking forward to hosting the following esteemed speakers in a powerful discussion:

• Mr. William J. (John) Berger, Chairman, President and CEO, Sunnova (confirmed)

• Ms. Leslie Beyer, CEO, Energy Workforce and Technology Council (confirmed) (moderator)

• Ms. Stephanie Cox, Executive President Operations, Wood (confirmed)

• Mr. Paul Doucette, Energy Transition Executive, Policy & Stakeholder Engagement Leader, Baker Hughes

• Mr. Ravi Kathuria, President, Houston Strategy Forum (confirmed) (host & moderator)

• Mr. Charles McConnell, Executive Director, Carbon Management and Energy Sustainability, University of Houston; Former Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of Energy (confirmed)

• Mr. Jay McKenna, Chief Executive Officer, Nacero Inc. (confirmed)