Heather Leahey

Heather Leahey ran her first half-marathon in 2017. It could have gone better.

“I remember starting out of the gate much quicker than my normal pace to keep up with other participants, but then burning out by the three-quarter mark and finishing much slower than my targeted time,” she said. “Had I focused on my own race and running at a steady pace that was appropriate for my body and training, the outcome may have been different.”

The lesson, which she passes onto young professionals: run your own race. “In the age of social media, it is far too easy to draw comparisons with others and to feel inadequate.”

Leahey acknowledges the advantages of working at Enverus, a company that prioritizes diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace.

“Still, women are underrepresented across most levels in industry, including in senior positions,” she said. “I have sought out both male and female mentors for encouragement and advice, especially for managing imposter syndrome and overcoming personal and professional challenges.

“I am also grateful for the sense of community and the connections I have formed with female peers in the industry, both within and outside of Enverus. I am passionate about supporting other women in energy and am always looking for ways to get involved, whether it be through organizing internal networking activities or participating in external conferences and events.”

A key moment in Leahey’s career was her transition to the energy transition. In her work on the Eagle Ford Shale, she began fielding questions about EOR using CO₂. Her research led to work on the broader CCUS value chain and, eventually, to leaving coverage of upstream to head up CCUS research in 2022.

“I conceived the group’s first low-carbon strategy and empowered a growing team to execute on key CCUS and low-carbon deliverables,” Leahey said. “I really enjoyed the opportunity to see this project from ideation to implementation—zero to one—and to collaborate with so many talented and innovative teammates.”

One of the best pieces of advice she received early in her career was to approach her work with an entrepreneurial mindset, or to treat it like a business.

“The mindset shift helped cultivate more ownership in my work and empowered me to innovate and think strategically about how I was spending my time,” she said. “I learned the value of intimately familiarizing myself with customer problems and generating solutions that fit those needs. This change in outlook was extremely powerful and helped push me to the next level in my career.”

Empathizing with the customer is critical to success. She advises young professionals to ask why something is important.

“Truly understand your customer, be it an internal or external stakeholder, and the root of their problems,” Leahey said. “We too often design solutions to address low value or the wrong problems without taking the time for appropriate discovery and validation. Learning to ask the right questions at the onset and throughout the process helps ensure innovation meets its objectives.”

Her role at Enverus is to work with corporate and institutional clients that have a strong foothold in oil and gas, but are exploring ways to participate in the new energy space to reinforce the longevity of their businesses.

“The broader energy landscape is rapidly evolving, and unlike traditional oil and gas development, the energy transition investment playbook is much less defined,” Leahey said. “There is a strong desire for collaboration and diversity in industry—we need lots of new ideas from many different individuals to find success in the face of the challenges in front of us.”

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