Cristina Stellar

Cristina Stellar, who grew up in Spain, was working for PwC in Mexico City when she was assigned to handle a project offshore Equatorial Guinea for, then client, Hess Corp.

“Two weeks later, I was hooked, and soon after I became a Hess employee,” she said.

Few commodities impact daily life like oil and gas, she said. “What keeps me motivated is our resilience and adaptability as an industry. The pace of work, challenges and ability to navigate risk are unique to what we do.”

Those attributes translate into career advice, as well.

“Be resourceful, reliable and resilient,” Stellar advises young professionals. “Set goals and work hard to achieve them; there are very few things that cannot be accomplished if you consistently put your best self forward. Work as a team, ask questions, learn from those who are the best at a particular skill and be willing to take less desirable assignments. Excelling at those less desirable assignments will lead to your dream job.”

After beginning her career at PwC, she spent 13 years at Hess before joining Vanguard Natural Resources, which rebranded as Grizzly.

“Leading Grizzly’s corporate development team was a career milestone,” Stellar said. “A lot of people helped me get there, including Amanda Goller and a former boss, Scott Sloan, who knew I was a hard worker and trusted I could succeed in that role.”

She became senior vice president and managing director at BOK Financial Securities in 2022, a move she is excited about.

“Joining BOK Financial to expand its Energy Investment Bank footprint in Houston has been rewarding and the focus of my last two years,” Stellar said.

Stellar said she has learned a lot from her experiences as a member of a team.

“My time offshore taught me what a team can achieve by working together and relying on subject matter experts,” she said. “Keeping the motivation and team morale while divesting all [Grizzly Energy] assets helped me develop as a leader, and partnering with clients in BOK Financial and PwC has exposed me to different companies, business models and management styles, providing a full picture and setting a benchmark.”

Stellar said she owes much to the women in her family who have been role models for her.

“My mother and grandmothers were strong leaders who showed me fulfillment comes from different places, and that working could make me a better mom and vice versa,” she said. “Hopefully, I can set the same example for my children.”

Stellar’s dedication to family has helped chart the direction of her career.

“When I entered the industry, my goal was to be an expat and work offshore,” she said. “I loved that job and would have been happy doing it for the rest of my career, but I wanted to have children. I decided to return to the office and never looked back. I adore my family and cherish the memories of my days offshore. Dealmaking is as rewarding. I cannot imagine myself doing anything else.”

Stellar views the oil and gas sector as on the right track because of its resilience.

“Our industry has proven its ability to adapt to changes,” she said. “The upstream oil and gas business shifted from a high-growth no-return model to a low-growth, high-return sector focused on keeping debt leverage low and returning capital to investors. Exploration and production companies are operating leaner and choosing to self-fund to keep production relatively flat. Consolidation should continue and will strengthen this capital discipline. The new paradigm is working, and the industry is thriving.”

Check out the rest of Hart Energy's 2024 Women in Energy here.