Virginia “Ginny” Kadlick

Kadlick’s own career has taken a remarkable and unconventional path, the product of much dedication and the desire to seek new opportunities. Starting her career as a field landman and realizing her passion for the transactional side of oil and gas, she segued by going in-house at Magnum Hunter Resources Corp., initially managing all noncore divestitures and quickly transitioning to associate general counsel with direct oversight over all corporate transactional work. Following Magnum Hunter and before joining XRI in 2019, she was outside consulting counsel for Fountain Quail Energy Services, where she managed a wide range of transactional and corporate matters, including the sale of Fountain Quail’s water treatment division to XRI. Recognizing her talent and potential, XRI offered her a position as general counsel overseeing all legal and human resources functions. Kadlick said, “Eagerness and leadership that encouraged involvement were the springboards to my career progression.”

World-class counsel

“Mentorship and encouragement by world-class advisors, advocates and colleagues has been critical to my success.” She credits her former general counsel, Paul Johnston, for “teaching her tenacity while providing a safety net of daily guidance, encouragement, and friendship.”

Her current CEO, Matt Gabriel, “constantly challenges me to test my limits while providing me with the tools that will enable the leadership, advocacy and management skills necessary to make a continuing contribution to my team.”

Growing through adversity

“During the bankruptcy boom of 2016, as associate general counsel of Magnum Hunter, we were one of the first to file for bankruptcy and notably one of the quickest to emerge in a record four months. I had zero prior practical experience in this sort of vortex, so helping lead a publicly traded company through bankruptcy and surviving the storm surge was probably the most challenging project I have encountered in my career thus far.”

Career milestone

“I am proud of my organic career growth. I never envisioned myself becoming general counsel at this point in my career, let alone general counsel to an industry-leading company revolutionizing the water midstream space. This is an exciting and unprecedented environment, and I am proud to be a part of it. From this experience, I have developed a sense of fortitude and personal initiative that will serve as a reminder of what can be accomplished with dedication and persistence. I understand that there is still so much to learn, and welcome the challenge.”

Getting started

“My family has been in the oil and gas business for six generations—back to the early drillers in Pennsylvania. I think it is safe to say that [oil and gas] is something that I inherited. My family is deep-rooted in the geology, engineering and geophysics aspects of the oil and gas industry, so I inherently had to see what all the excitement was about. Forging my own path in this space has been an appealing adventure.”

Early opportunities

“Early in my career, I was directly involved in over $210 million in total divestitures including helping lead the closing of a noncore asset sale based on net production in the Bakken/Three Forks for $84.7 million, remarkably closing the transaction just days before oil prices fell more than 50% in late 2014. Such pivotal experiences have only fueled my desire to evaluate transactions, conceptualize them proactively, and then provide solutions that will get them across the finish line. Such outcomes are a collective product of hard-working teams that support and trust each other.”

Advice to young professionals

“Lean in. Every day is an opportunity to create your own reality through action. Seek out individuals in your community, your company and your profession that you find influential and learn from their experiences and absorb their advice. Don’t be afraid to ask if you can participate in things that are outside your comfort zone and wheelhouse. Show interest in your colleagues and respect how valuable each and every role is in keeping the wheels turning.”

“Lean in. Every day is an opportunity to create your own reality through action.”