When most people think about energy, they probably imagine a wind turbine, solar panels, or an oil refinery plant. What most people don’t realize is there was probably a private equity firm investing capital to kickstart the construction of the turbine and there was probably a data analytics firm providing the wind turbine operator with projections of regional energy demand. The energy ecosystem reaches far and wide and encompasses companies along the entire value chain providing each other with requisite funding or valuable information.
On a late October Friday, I, along with a handful of other Tuck energy enthusiasts from the Revers Center for Energy, went down to Boston for a day of industry exploration and career insight. We went to visit three places: ArcLight Capital Partners, LLC, Swift Current Energy, and IHS Markit. The day was meticulously curated with an incessant stream of passionate Tuckies in industry sitting down with us at the respective sites, explaining to us what they do within the grand scheme of energy generation.
We had the chance to meet Dan Revers T’89, the namesake of the Revers Center for Energy and founding partner of ArcLight Capital. He, along with other key partners and principals, walked us through their respective careers and plethora of experience and offered sage advice to our group of wide-eyed MBA students. At Swift Current Energy, we were able to speak with two Tuckies, Jim Marrett T’10 and Caroline Mann T’15, that had traversed extensively through the renewable energy space and found themselves at Swift, a clean energy-focused development and investment firm. They spoke extensively about the rapid growth of the renewable energy industry and provided us tremendous insight into the daily workings of their professional lives. Lastly, to conclude our day of industry immersion, we visited IHS Markit, the premier data and information provider for the energy industry. We were able to meet with Craig Urch T’00 along with a select panel of senior leaders internally to have an informal discussion regarding global trends within the oil and gas sector alongside renewables.
To compound the learnings of a day immersed in industry, we found ourselves the next day in attendance at the Harvard Energy Symposium, a gathering of industry professionals amalgamated to discuss the current and future prospects of the energy industry. From engaging panels regarding the future of battery storage in grid integration to a beyond charismatic keynote by Helge Haldorsen, VP of Investor Relations for Equinor, the day was a great conclusion to a weekend of energy and an invigorating way to learn more about the endless opportunities that await us.
For me personally, the trek served as a great introspective opportunity to see what was the right fit for me career-wise. I had the opportunity to see a snapshot of what working in the energy sector looked like from so many different angles. The conversation and experience that stood out to me the most was an intimate small group lunch with NextEra at the Energy Symposium. My conversation with their recent MBA hires as well as their hiring manager was an incredible opportunity to hear a personal account of what a post-MBA career looked like at a renewable developer with the scale that NextEra has to offer.
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