Tracey Henderson

Tracey Henderson, a trained geophysicist, took to heart the advice of her early career mentors to excel in every role she undertook. For the first 16 years of her career, this dedication was focused on sharpening her technical expertise.

“I loved the science, the technology and collaborating with peers and industry experts,” she said. “I envisioned myself leading a technical pillar, such as becoming a chief geophysicist. At that time, I did not foresee moving into leadership roles.”

Funny thing about excellence, though—it often begets excellence. Henderson credits the high standards she strived to meet in technical roles for her success in later leadership roles.

“Initially, I was a bit resistant to moving out of technical roles into leadership positions,” she said. “Fortunately, I had excellent mentors and sponsors who encouraged and pushed me to take on leadership roles that would eventually lead to my current position. ‘I would encourage you to aim higher’ was a quote from one of my mentors that stuck with me.”

But that transition to leadership from technical roles presented unique challenges. Henderson’s specialized training lacked certain business development skills and as she first moved into leadership, that gap became apparent.

To bridge it, she acknowledged what she didn’t know and focused on broadening her business knowledge. She took courses in accounting, finance and business management and completed an immersive leadership development program at Harvard Business School. 

“To successfully transition my career, I dedicated the time and committed to learning the skills I needed to advance my career,” Henderson said. 

Still, even Harvard Business School can’t teach an executive to love what she is doing and want to share it with those she leads.

“I am very passionate about geoscience and exploration, and I find this shared enthusiasm to be a strong motivator for the teams I lead,” she said. “I leverage this common ground by setting clear goals and providing strategic context for their work and helping them understand how their contributions support the company’s overall goals and objectives. I also maintain regular and open communication with my team, which helps foster trust and allows me to provide regular feedback and coaching.”

Henderson’s perspective is that two basic factors influence career paths: how one reacts to events beyond control, and conscious decisions. 

In her career, the cyclicality and volatility in oil and gas prices and activities created high levels of uncertainty at times, leading to corporate buyouts and numerous downsizing events.

“These experiences helped me develop resilience and adaptability to change, which have served me well,” she said.

Then there was the big decision to take a big career risk. 

In 2004, Henderson had a good position at an established company and a supervisor who described her as having a “very bright future.” But opportunity beckoned in the form of a private equity start-up—more risk but potentially significant upside. She made the call to join the new company and it was a good one.

“That start-up was very successful, went public, and I worked there for 17 years, ultimately becoming chief exploration officer,” she said. “I took a risk, and it was the most impactful decision I have made in my career.”

This opportunity paved the way for her to join Apache and lead the company's exploration division. In this capacity, she manages a diverse portfolio of exploration assets spanning Suriname, Egypt, Alaska and Uruguay.

To Henderson, oil and gas is an industry brimming with potential for young professionals.

“Our industry is known for its volatility but also for its tremendous resilience and ingenuity,” she said. “As a result of previous downturns and sentiment around oil and gas, we are seeing a shortage of young talent today, and that shortage will lead to great opportunities for young energy professionals across a range of disciplines.”

Check out the rest of Hart Energy's 2025 Women in Energy here.