Energy Innovation Needs Women – Katie Mehnert, Pink Petro

Jan 24, 2020

“Your biggest challenge is your biggest opportunity. Get people into the system so they can change the culture and the industry to clean energy” Katie Mehnert on Green Connections Radio

At the 2020 World Economic Forum where global leaders across industry in Davos, Switzerland every January, climate change took “center stage,” as The New York Times headline put it. A key topic of debate was the conundrum of providing clean energy to all and it is abundantly clear the key is much more rapid innovation to transition to a clean energy economy. But how?

Listen to Katie Mehnert, who spent 20 years in the oil and gas sector and is a passionate devotee to it, in this surprisingly candid interview on Green Connections Radio podcast with Joan Michelson. Katie passionately lays out the urgent need for the sector to innovate and why bringing more women into the industry is key. Katie left a job in Big Oil that she loved to start Pink Petro to get more women into energy industry leadership.

You'll hear:

• Why Katie says women are key to cleaning up the industry.
• What companies need to do to attract and retain more women.
• How safety and diversity go hand in hand in her view and are the key to “win the war for talent.”
• How investors’ focus on environment, social and governance (ESG) criteria is driving energy sector change.
• Great career advice, especially for women in a male-dominated field.

“Just start talking to people and find out what they care about and take note…Just stay curious, ask loads of questions and build those relationships and try to help them. Know their values and accept help when you need it.” Katie Mehnert on Green Connections Radio

You'll want to check out these interviews too:

• Adrienne Little, Malta, formerly of Google X, on creating energy from salt.
• Rachel Kyte, UN Sustainable Energy for All, on the Paris Accord and energy.
• Esther Takeuchi, Stonybrook College, on inventing new batteries (Inventor of the pacemaker battery)
• Shirley Meng, UC San Diego, on innovative biodegradable batteries

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