Fueling Future Energy Leaders: Empowering the 6th Cohort of the WBENC Energy Executive Program

As WBENC sustains its Momentum throughout the remainder of 2023, its biggest Energy Executive Program cohort yet has completed its on-site portion of its programming. The cohort participated in four highly engaging virtual sessions with prominent industry stakeholders covering various topics such as New Energies, Upstream, Midstream, Downstream, Chemicals, and more!  

60-Women Business Enterprises (WBEs) participated in a 3-day hands-on opportunity in Houston, Texas, to gain a deeper understanding of all segments of the Energy Industry. This field-based learning experience provided practical knowledge of the energy industry and created opportunities for women entrepreneurs to build relationships with corporations across various industry segments, expanding their areas of opportunity. 

This highly interactive and immersive executive education experience was made possible by the amazing Corporate Participants: BP America Inc., Chevron, ExxonMobil, Hess Corporation, and Shell USA, Inc.  

The on-site programming included networking, fireside chats with industry leadership, happy hour socials, and field-based activities around the Greater Houston area, including excursions to:  

• Chevron’s Technology Ventures 
• The “Ion” Houston 
• Shell Deer Park Chemical Plant 

The program opened its doors to include various guest corporations and primes for its Corporate and Prime Meet & Greet, guest corporations and primes included Baker Hughes, ConocoPhillips, and Technip FMC – this activity resulted in 413 introductions between WBEs and their paired Participating Corporations, guest corporations and primes.

Corporate and Site Leadership from all the Participating Corporations facilitated the presentations and were special guests, engaging with the participants throughout the week.  

Following the conclusion of the graduation ceremony from the Houston Energy industry, the Energy Executive Program participants gave back to the Houston community. In collaboration with ExxonMobil, Shell USA, Inc., and the Women’s Business Enterprise Alliance (WBEA), participants engaged in a workshop style community impact event for local entrepreneurial-minded students to map out their business’ next steps – each student was paired with 2-3 Women entrepreneur mentors within the WBENC network to then create an actionable plan for next steps on their entrepreneurial journey to turn their business into a reality. The student mentees then reported out their plans to an encouraging crowd of women businesses owners.  

Participants engaged in 3-days of networking opportunities not only with Participating Corporations, guest corporations, and Primes, however, also with each other. These opportunities included time allocated toward WBE – WBE networking. Through these experiences, a total of 451 connections were established. Among these connections, an impressive 269 invitations were extended for potential partnerships in future projects, indicating a robust interest in collaborative ventures and a proactive approach towards business expansion. Additionally, 182 participants expressed a keen interest in purchasing products and/or services, highlighting the event’s impact in unveiling new opportunities. 

Among the 60-WBE participants, the cohort incapsulated each segment of the Energy industry, allowing for cross-business collaboration and for a well-rounded opportunity and experience to better understand all segments of the Energy Industry. The make-up of the cohort for the WBENC Energy Executive Program class of 2023 was: 

• 17% in New Energy 
• 8% in Upstream 
• 19% in Midstream 
• 22% in Downstream 
• 34% in Professional & Business Services 

Participants in the WBENC Energy Executive Program are selected and welcomed into the cohort through a competitive application process that begins mid-summer. Cohort participants may be selected through a participating corporation: BP America Inc., Chevron, ExxonMobil, Hess Corporation, and Shell USA, Inc. Selection criteria for the participants includes: 

• Currently certified and in good standing as a WBENC-Certified Women Business Enterprise (WBE). 
• Must be the majority owner of the company and have a minimum of three years’ experience operating a business. 
• Maintain a minimum annual sales volume of $1,000,000. 
• Provide goods and/or services applicable to the Energy Industry. 

The WBENC Energy Executive Program is an annual program that will be welcoming applications in the summer of 2024 for the next cohort. Stay up to date on all things Energy Executive Program and more by subscribing to the WBENC newsletter.  

Congratulations to the following Women Owned Businesses for successfully completing the WBENC Energy Executive Program: 

Energy Executive Program 2023 Cohort