Regina Mayor: Leading From the Front
By: The editorial staff of American Energy Society
Adapted from Shale Magazine
By: The editorial staff of American Energy Society
Adapted from Shale Magazine
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Regina Mayor is a pillar of knowledge, experience and strength. As an Energy Leader for KPMG, Mayor works with large and small companies on a wide variety of complex projects. As a thought-leader, her wisdom is considered a beacon for those in need of guidance. As a woman in a sector with too many men, Mayor is an inspiration to many. And as she confronts new professional experiences, her professional mastery continues to grow. But Regina Mayor’s path to the front was circuitous, to say the least. |
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Before Energy There Was ...
As a young 18 year old, Mayor left her home in Hawaii for Ithaca, New York, to attend Cornell University - and she had never seen snow. “I was really cold all the time,” Mayor remembers, “and when it snowed in April, I cried.” But the weather didn’t cool her excitement or her ambitions. “I wanted to be the next Connie Chung,” Mayor recalls. “Or an actress. I thought, Ithaca, New York is close to New York City; I would be down in New York City every weekend to see if I could make my big break. But it was very far away. I think I went there three times in four years.”
Sadly, Mayor’s dream of making it in show business was not in the cards. But new opportunities were on the horizon. As the daughter of two teachers, Mayor was able to attend the Ivy League school with the help of a Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) scholarship. And with her involvement in the military training program at Cornell, an interest in the federal government and policy was born. “The army was really very good to me,” she says. “I did a lot of exciting things like jump out of airplanes, drive tanks and fire almost every bit of weaponry known to mankind.” Indeed, as an intern, Mayor spent a semester at the Pentagon in the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), supporting the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Gen. John Galvin, as well as his speechwriter, Maj. David Petraeus, future general and CIA Director.
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After graduating from Cornell, Mayor followed her passion for government policy to the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, where she received her master’s degree in public policy. With her focus set on government and a fascination with defense policy, Mayor aspired to be the first female U.S. Secretary of Defense. But again her fate would shift again and again with unexpected changes of scenery – in Houston.
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“I did a lot of exciting things like jump out of airplanes, drive tanks and fire almost every bit of weaponry known to mankind.”
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Almost immediately after relocating to Houston in 1993, Mayor began working in the energy industry, first as a Senior Associate with Ernst & Young and the chance to work with multinational oil and gas companies “My clients were right in town so I didn’t have to travel as extensively as others.” After six years with the firm, Mayor transitioned again to become the Vice President of Marketing and Strategic Planning at Capgemini and then took over the task of launching a new brand for the company. And in 2006, Mayor arrived at KPMG.
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At the time KPMG was serving a global oil and gas company in an audit capacity. She would work her way up the ranks, finding her leadership team to be supportive of her professional contributions, KPMG was transitioning from a 50-plus-year audit firm into a tax and advisory service company, and so her work with large and well-known oil and gas companies was considered essential. Rather quickly Mayor was considered an expert in the energy advisory field and a highly-respected energy thought-leader. Throughout her career with KPMG, Mayor has seen significant changes in the market, the industry, her company and herself.
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Energy Going Forward
“The use of technology has been the largest change I’ve seen,” Mayor says. “The changes that have been made and potential for what can be changed in this industry are mind-boggling.” As technologies evolve and grow more efficient, companies are finding new, cost-effective ways to change their process to increase their ROI. Within the oil and gas arena, companies like ConocoPhillips, Halliburton and Devon Energy are actively using new technologies to find under-produced wells to refrac. In previous years, the E&P company would blast large amounts of sand to ensure that fissures stay open, but that meant a huge cost for the company. Using technology, companies are removing the guesswork from their process and seeing large benefits.
In addition to new technologies, companies are changing their mindset on the value chain on an end-to-end basis. Knowing their consumers and what their needs are is new to the energy industry, Mayor explains. The new mindset is a shift to a more commercialized business model with a focus on the total life cycle cost and total profitability aspect of the product and process.
“The use of technology has been the largest change I’ve seen,” Mayor says. “The changes that have been made and potential for what can be changed in this industry are mind-boggling.” As technologies evolve and grow more efficient, companies are finding new, cost-effective ways to change their process to increase their ROI. Within the oil and gas arena, companies like ConocoPhillips, Halliburton and Devon Energy are actively using new technologies to find under-produced wells to refrac. In previous years, the E&P company would blast large amounts of sand to ensure that fissures stay open, but that meant a huge cost for the company. Using technology, companies are removing the guesswork from their process and seeing large benefits.
In addition to new technologies, companies are changing their mindset on the value chain on an end-to-end basis. Knowing their consumers and what their needs are is new to the energy industry, Mayor explains. The new mindset is a shift to a more commercialized business model with a focus on the total life cycle cost and total profitability aspect of the product and process.
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“Ten years ago parts of the energy industry were still in an engineering mindset. Companies tended to be more excited about the engineering aspects that they were accomplishing and thought less about how they would ultimately make money.” Looking at the current commodity market, what is Mayor telling her clients to help them succeed going forward? “We’re telling them to rethink everything, challenge every established norm and every part of the status quo. Some of them are, and some of them aren’t. But the successful ones, I think, are going to use this downturn as a catalyst to radically reshape who they are, how they compete, how they define themselves with their customers and what kind of talent they retain.”
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The challenges facing most energy companies are basic in nature: access to capital and liquidity. But the opportunities for growth are immense. Thinking outside the box to improve current policies and practices is going to be the greatest takeaway of the current market condition.... What if there is a significant increase in use of electric vehicles? What does this mean for gasoline usage? What impact will social/demographic changes ultimately have on the number of miles traveled? Companies in the downstream market may be rethinking the use of their products in the future. The utilities are undergoing transformative changes with innovations in batteries, fuel cell technologies, fourth- generation solar and other technologies. All of these factors will affect how power is generated, transmitted, stored and used. “Companies are looking ahead to see what may affect their value chain and what they may do under different scenarios. A lot of boardroom leaders are waking up to these realities.”
Strength Through Diversity
Named a “Breakthrough Women” by the Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce in 2016, Mayor is breaking down barriers and inspiring women around the world to follow their passion as far as they can go. She has used her experience as a woman to set herself apart from her counterparts. In a sea of suits, Mayor stands out proudly in a fashionable ensemble representative of a strong professional woman. Her life experiences, as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserve and a leader in the energy advisory sphere, have proven her ability to adapt in different environments and lead with grace and knowledge. But the two worlds are more similar than you’d think, Mayor says. “I find the energy industry to be a lot like the Army. It’s a very male-dominated, -oriented industry.”
While in the Reserve, Regina never let herself be limited from gaining new experiences. One story she is proud to share is about her experience jumping out of a plane. It was the summer of 1987. Mayor, a mere 20 years old, was sent to paratrooper training at Fort Benning, Georgia. She was one of about 15 women there at the time, out of 500 troops, learning how to fall properly and preparing to jump from a plane. The boot camp style was challenging mentally and physically for Mayor, but nothing can prepare you for the fear that comes over you on your first jump.
When the time came for that first leap, the Sergeant Airborne went down the aisle numbering off the order of jumpers. As he walked by, he tapped Mayor’s helmet, said “one” and kept going down the line. Mayor realized she was going first. It wasn’t easy to conquer that fear, but she did it. She jumped first and then did another four jumps to earn a badge she proudly displayed on her uniform, signaling she had completed the required five jumps.
When the day was done and she made her way back to the female barracks, Mayor learned that most of the women, out of the 15 that were stationed there were the first to jump in their groups. Keep in mind that this was the summer of 1987. The U.S. Army was leveraging the women on the teams to motivate the rest. But this was more than just a ploy by the Army. “It taught me a lot,” Mayor reflects. “It taught me about leading from the front, conquering my fears and the importance of diversity in leadership. These lessons are a part of who I am.”
Within the industry, women are growing into more leadership roles now than ever before. No one can say that men are a better fit for a role because of their gender-specific skill set, and the same can’t be said for a woman. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t strength in being a woman in a male-dominated industry. “I have learned to value what I bring as a woman. I know I stand out; I look different from everybody else. I try to make myself memorable in a positive way and use the fact that I’m different as an advantage.”
Named a “Breakthrough Women” by the Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce in 2016, Mayor is breaking down barriers and inspiring women around the world to follow their passion as far as they can go. She has used her experience as a woman to set herself apart from her counterparts. In a sea of suits, Mayor stands out proudly in a fashionable ensemble representative of a strong professional woman. Her life experiences, as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserve and a leader in the energy advisory sphere, have proven her ability to adapt in different environments and lead with grace and knowledge. But the two worlds are more similar than you’d think, Mayor says. “I find the energy industry to be a lot like the Army. It’s a very male-dominated, -oriented industry.”
While in the Reserve, Regina never let herself be limited from gaining new experiences. One story she is proud to share is about her experience jumping out of a plane. It was the summer of 1987. Mayor, a mere 20 years old, was sent to paratrooper training at Fort Benning, Georgia. She was one of about 15 women there at the time, out of 500 troops, learning how to fall properly and preparing to jump from a plane. The boot camp style was challenging mentally and physically for Mayor, but nothing can prepare you for the fear that comes over you on your first jump.
When the time came for that first leap, the Sergeant Airborne went down the aisle numbering off the order of jumpers. As he walked by, he tapped Mayor’s helmet, said “one” and kept going down the line. Mayor realized she was going first. It wasn’t easy to conquer that fear, but she did it. She jumped first and then did another four jumps to earn a badge she proudly displayed on her uniform, signaling she had completed the required five jumps.
When the day was done and she made her way back to the female barracks, Mayor learned that most of the women, out of the 15 that were stationed there were the first to jump in their groups. Keep in mind that this was the summer of 1987. The U.S. Army was leveraging the women on the teams to motivate the rest. But this was more than just a ploy by the Army. “It taught me a lot,” Mayor reflects. “It taught me about leading from the front, conquering my fears and the importance of diversity in leadership. These lessons are a part of who I am.”
Within the industry, women are growing into more leadership roles now than ever before. No one can say that men are a better fit for a role because of their gender-specific skill set, and the same can’t be said for a woman. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t strength in being a woman in a male-dominated industry. “I have learned to value what I bring as a woman. I know I stand out; I look different from everybody else. I try to make myself memorable in a positive way and use the fact that I’m different as an advantage.”
