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[Editor's note: Influential Women In Energy 2021 is a supplement to the May 2021 issue of Oil and Gas Investor magazine. Subscribe to the magazine here.]
Katie Pavlovsky proudly wears the military “brat” label, saying her hometown is the world. She was raised in a military family and spent her senior year of high school at Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas. So when it was time to pick a college, her new roots in the energy capital of the world were planted when she chose the University of Texas at Austin and then moved to Houston to work in commercial insurance.
“In my role of assessing risk and adjusting complex commercial insurance claims, I quickly developed a passion and appreciation for the complexity of [the energy] industry,” she said. “I started my career in commercial insurance adjusting complex commercial insurance claims on behalf of energy policyholders before joining Deloitte to manage financial, operational, regulatory and technological risk for Deloitte’s Energy relationships.”
Balancing her career
“The greatest challenge as a woman in any industry is balancing a career and raising a family. Perhaps, unique to the oil and gas industry are the global travel requirements. These make it more demanding to balance than most, but I also recognize the industry’s advantages. My experiences abroad strengthened my personal development and career progression while also providing a platform to demonstrate my leadership capabilities.”
She added that the oil and gas industry also requires the right outlook due to its cyclical nature. “A mentor once told me that ‘anyone can hold the helm when the sea is calm; it’s another thing to steer in turbulent waters.’ The cyclical nature of the industry forces us to lead in challenging times and to continuously improve, learn and develop.”
Memorable moments
“My most memorable projects have entailed helicoptering to an offshore rig and being out in the field where the ‘work gets done.’ But I’ve also helped Deloitte’s clients work through some of the industry’s most visible events of the last two and a half decades. Being on the front line of a client relationship while responding to a significant event and supporting them in managing across multiple stakeholders with divergent priorities and concerns is the most challenging and most rewarding experience at the same time.”
Career milestone
“Standing up Deloitte’s Center for Environmental, Social & Governance is one of my most memorable career milestones. Thanks to the vision and support of my partnership, we invested in this opportunity 20 years ago anticipating the growth and increased focus we are witnessing today.”
Motivation
“The resiliency of the industry is what keeps me motivated and passionate. Energy is such a critical input to our personal and professional lives and economic prosperity—across industries and the world, regardless of our business. The [February winter] weather event in Texas was a reminder of the integral role of oil and gas in our connectivity and powering our economies. Whether responding to COVID-19 or the weather in Texas, the industry has a history of demonstrating ingenuity and resolve in the most extreme circumstances to power the world and our lives.”
Meaningful mentorship
“I’ve had multiple sponsors and mentors through my career, but on a personal note, I’ve always looked to my parents who taught me there are no barriers, exposed me to numerous geographies and cultures and trained me on the importance of agility.
“As it relates to professional mentors—most of them sought me out, which I believe is an important distinction. My mentors were not leaning in on my career because I asked them to do so. It was because they recognized my potential or, in certain cases, that I needed help. They made the time to coach me. And now in a mentoring capacity, I find it critical that I pay that forward and seek the same opportunities with others.”
Industry transformation
“With a culture of innovation and ingenuity, the industry continues to be a magnet for engineering and technology skills, which is an extremely powerful combination. And as the industry accelerates the ESG transition through solution and infrastructure development across industries and sectors, it must educate and build awareness of the potential tradeoffs as energy acquisition, distribution and generation evolves. All the while, we must not lose sight of what the future will bring in terms of technology, climate and economic development.”
View the full on-demand video interviews featuring this year’s honorees at HartEnergyConferences.com/Women-in-Energy
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