Today we had the pleasure of hosting our good friend Dr. Ken Medlock, Fellow in Energy and Resource Economics and Senior Director of the Center for Energy Studies at Rice University’s Baker Institute. Ken joined the Rice University faculty in 2004 and holds adjunct professor appointments in the Department of Economics and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, in addition to serving as director of the Master of Energy Economics program. He is also a Distinguished Fellow at the In...
Jun 11, 2025•58 min•Season 2Ep. 281
Today we’re delighted to welcome back Mike Sommers, President and CEO of the American Petroleum Institute (API). Mike has led the API since 2018 and previously spent two decades in senior leadership roles in the U.S. House of Representatives and the White House, including as Chief of Staff to Speaker of the House John A. Boehner and as Special Assistant to President George W. Bush on the National Economic Council. The API represents 600 members across the full spectrum of the U.S. petroleum indu...
Jun 04, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Season 2Ep. 280
Today we had the pleasure of hosting Michael Mische, Associate Professor of Management at the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business. Michael joined the USC faculty in 1997 and also serves as CEO and a Managing Member of the Synergy Consulting Group. At Marshall, he leads and coordinates the school’s undergraduate and graduate curricula in management consulting. Our interest in connecting with Michael was sparked by his recent report, “A Study of California Gasoline Pric...
May 28, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Season 2Ep. 279
Today we had a fantastic conversation with Daan Struyven, Co-Head of Global Commodities Research and Managing Director, Head of Oil Research, alongside his colleague Lina Thomas, Commodities Strategist, with Goldman Sachs. Daan joined Goldman in 2015 and previously co-led the Goldman Global Economics team as well as the firm’s Canada Economics research effort. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from MIT. Lina joined Goldman after earning her Ph.D. in Economics from Harvard, where she focused on safe-...
May 21, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Season 2Ep. 278
Today we had the pleasure of hosting Dr. Francesco Sassi for a wide-ranging discussion on global energy and geopolitics. Francesco is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Oslo and previously served as a Research Fellow in energy geopolitics and markets at Ricerche Industriali ed Energetiche (RIE). Francesco holds a Ph.D. in Political Science – Geopolitics from the University of Pisa, where he focused his research on the Sino-Russian gas interdependence. We were drawn to his straightforward...
May 14, 2025•52 min•Season 2Ep. 277
Today we were thrilled to welcome our good friend Ashley Zumwalt-Forbes, former Deputy Director for Batteries and Critical Materials at the U.S. Department of Energy, to our offices in Houston. Ashley brings more than a decade of experience in acquiring, financing, and developing greenfield and brownfield mining projects, with deep expertise across the global mining supply chain. She served in the Biden Administration from January 2024 to January 2025, overseeing deployment of capital and tax in...
May 07, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Season 2Ep. 276
Today we were delighted to host the team from the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC), a leading Washington NGO dedicated to bringing stakeholders together to address critical policy issues for the U.S. and find areas of alignment for action. Joining us for the session are Margaret Spellings, President and CEO, along with her colleagues David Hill, Executive Vice President of Energy, and Bill Hoagland, Senior Vice President. Margaret became CEO of BPC in 2023 and brings extensive leadership experienc...
Apr 30, 2025•54 min•Season 2Ep. 275
Today we had the distinct pleasure of hosting Mark Lashier, Chairman and CEO of Phillips 66. Mark joined Phillips 66 as President and COO in 2021 and assumed the CEO role in July 2022. Prior to that, he served as the President and CEO of Chevron Phillips Chemical Company (CPChem), where he held several senior leadership roles, including Executive Vice President of Olefins and Polyolefins, Senior Vice President of Specialties, Aromatics and Styrenics, and Vice President of Corporate Planning and ...
Apr 29, 2025•59 min
It was our privilege today to welcome the Honorable Jason Kenney, former Premier of Alberta, for a timely and insightful discussion on Canada’s upcoming federal election (April 28). Jason holds 25 years of public service at both the federal and provincial level with wide-ranging policy and leadership experience. He served as the 18th Premier of Alberta from 2019 to 2022 and now serves as a Senior Advisor at Bennett Jones, in addition to holding several board positions. Prior to his time as Premi...
Apr 23, 2025•1 hr 5 min•Season 2Ep. 274
Today we had the pleasure of hosting David Hambling for a sweeping discussion on drone technologies and their applications. David is a journalist, author, and defense technology expert with over 20 years of experience. He writes for Aviation Week, Forbes, The Economist, New Scientist, Popular Mechanics, WIRED, and more (for an archive of David’s writings, click here ). David is the author of “Swarm Troopers” and has researched the history of drones and in particular, has zeroed in on the potenti...
Apr 16, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Season 2Ep. 273
We are excited to share this Special Edition COBT featuring Matt Loszak, CEO, and Jon Guidroz, Senior Vice President of Commercial and Strategy, from Aalo Atomics. Founded in 2022, Aalo is a pioneering nuclear energy company working to revolutionize the industry by manufacturing entire nuclear plants using prefabricated, factory-built components. Matt comes from a background in software startups, and his interest in nuclear began during his childhood in Toronto. Jon joined the company in Septemb...
Apr 14, 2025•41 min
Today we had the pleasure of hosting Dr. Kostas Bakoyannis, Chair of the Committee on the Environment, Climate Change and Energy at the European Committee of the Regions. Kostas has served as a member of the Committee since 2020 and previously held elected roles as Mayor of Athens, Governor of Central Greece, and Mayor of Karpenisi. He brings nearly two decades of public service experience including roles at the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the European Parliament in Brussels, and the Worl...
Apr 09, 2025•1 hr 8 min•Season 2Ep. 272
Today we were delighted to welcome Michael Kao, Private Investor at Kao Family Office and CEO & Portfolio Manager of Akanthos Capital Management. Michael founded Akanthos in 2002 and transitioned to focus on his family office in 2019. Michael is also the author of "Kaoboy Musings” on Substack (linked here ). Previously, he was a Portfolio Manager at Canyon Capital Advisors, where he co-founded the Canyon Arbitrage Fund. Michael started his career in the commodities unit at J.Aron/Goldman Sac...
Apr 02, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Season 2Ep. 271
Today we had the very exciting opportunity to take COBT “On The Road” to the Colorado School of Mines (CSM) in Golden, CO, where we recorded a special live audience show featuring Dr. Paul Johnson, President of CSM, and Jeff Miller, Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Halliburton. Paul has led CSM for nearly ten years and brings extensive experience in academia, previously serving as Dean of the School of Engineering at Arizona State University. Jeff has served as CEO of Hallibur...
Mar 26, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Season 2Ep. 270
Today we had the pleasure of hosting our good friend Dr. Scott Tinker, Chairman of Switch Energy Alliance, CEO of Tinker Energy Associates, and Director Emeritus of the Bureau of Economic Geology at UT Austin. Scott also hosts “Energy Switch,” a PBS talk show featuring America’s leading experts on energy and climate. His work is focused on uniting industry, government, academia, and NGOs to address major societal challenges in energy, the environment, and the economy. In that spirit, Scott recen...
Mar 19, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Season 2Ep. 269
We are very excited to share this Special Edition COBT on the 5th Anniversary of We are very excited to share this Special Edition COBT on the 5th Anniversary of COBT. Our very first show was March 10, 2020 (exactly 5 years ago today!), and we are beyond thrilled that Secretary Chris Wright joined us to commemorate the event. This week will be his debut party at CERAWeek, so the timing could not have been better for a discussion. Secretary Wright was nominated by President Trump to serve as the ...
Mar 10, 2025•47 min
Today we had a fantastic session with Neil Mehta, Managing Director and Head of North American Natural Resources Equity Research, alongside his colleague Carly Davenport, Vice President of Equity Research, with Goldman Sachs. Neil joined Goldman in 2008 and oversees research coverage across oil and gas, utilities, midstream, metals and mining, and clean technology, while also leading coverage for large cap energy equities. Carly joined Goldman in 2016 and covers U.S. utilities. She previously co...
Mar 05, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Season 2Ep. 268
Today we had the honor of welcoming back our good friend Dr. Dan Yergin, Vice Chairman of S&P Global, Chairman of CERAWeek, and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “The Prize” and more recently “The New Map.” He is widely recognized as one of the foremost experts on energy, geopolitics, and the global economy and his achievements and contributions to the energy industry are immense. We were delighted to have an hour of Dan’s time to hear his latest insights on the evolving energy landscape and ...
Feb 26, 2025•43 min•Season 2Ep. 267
Today we had two stellar guests for a COBT discussion focused on Germany’s significant upcoming election on February 23. We had the pleasure of hosting our good friend Dr. Lars Schernikau alongside Dr. Daniel Stelter. Lars is an energy economist, commodity trader, entrepreneur, and the author of “The Unpopular Truth about Electricity and the Future of Energy.” We have known Lars for a few years now and reached out to him for advice on an expert voice on the German elections, economy and overall ...
Feb 19, 2025•57 min•Season 2Ep. 266
Today we were delighted to welcome the Honorable Lisa Raitt, Vice-Chair of Global Investment Banking at CIBC, for an insightful discussion focused on the implications of recent U.S.-Canada trade developments. Lisa joined CIBC Capital Markets in 2020 following an eleven-year tenure in the Government of Canada. Her distinguished career includes serving as Deputy Leader of the Official Opposition and the Conservative Party of Canada, as well as serving as Minister of Natural Resources, Minister of ...
Feb 12, 2025•54 min•Season 2Ep. 265
It’s a big week in Houston with NAPE in town, and we were thrilled to welcome our good friend David Bat , President of Kimberlite Research , for an in-depth discussion of the latest OFS activity, trends, and technologies. David joined Kimberlite in 2015 and holds over 30 years of experience spanning upstream, power, and oilfield research. Kimberlite is a global oil and gas market research and consulting firm that gathers insights from more than 20,000 hours of annual interviews with industry pro...
Feb 05, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Season 2Ep. 264
It was our privilege today to welcome Philippe Ducom , President of ExxonMobil Europe , for a discussion centered on Europe’s challenges regarding energy policy and overall economic competitiveness. Philippe has been with ExxonMobil for 37 years and began his career as an engineer at the Notre-Dame de Gravenchon Chemical plant in Seine-Maritime. Over the years, he has held a variety of senior positions across manufacturing, business analytics, planning, sales, and marketing, working in Europe, J...
Jan 29, 2025•1 hr 11 min•Season 2Ep. 263
Today we had the honor of hosting Chairman Thomas Gleeson of the Public Utility Commission of Texas for an insightful and timely discussion focused on power, the dynamics involved, and the power revolution happening in Texas and globally. Chairman Gleeson was appointed by Governor Abbott to his role in January of 2024. He brings 15-years of experience at the PUCT, where he previously served as Executive Director, Chief Operating Officer, Director of Finance and Administration, and Fiscal Project...
Jan 22, 2025•1 hr 1 min•Season 2Ep. 262
Many of you have likely noticed the growing interest in Greenland making headlines recently, including the U.S.’s overt interest in potentially “acquiring” the country. As we’ve followed these developments, we have been intrigued to explore further and were fortunate to connect with Dr. Mark Nuttall, Professor and Henry Marshall Tory Chair of Anthropology at the University of Alberta and Adjunct Professor at the Greenland Climate Research Centre. Mark joined the University of Alberta faculty in ...
Jan 15, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Season 2Ep. 261
This week we were on the road in Oklahoma City and had the exciting opportunity to sit down with Dr. Ann Bluntzer Pullin, Executive Director of the Hamm Institute for American Energy at Oklahoma State University. Ann was appointed to Executive Director in August and has over 25 years of experience in higher education as a professor and administrator, most recently serving as Executive Director of the Ralph Lowe Energy Institute at TCU’s Neeley School of Business where she served in several leade...
Jan 08, 2025•46 min
Today we are thrilled to kick off the first COBT episode of 2025 with our good friend Rob West, Founder and Lead Analyst at Thunder Said Energy. Rob started Thunder Said in 2019 and provides unique, thought-provoking, and economic-driven insights into energy transition research and technologies. He is a long-time energy analyst and previously built and led the energy practice at Redburn and served at Sanford C. Bernstein and Partners Capital before launching Thunder Said. This episode marks Rob’...
Jan 08, 2025•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 260
Today we were thrilled to visit with Dr. Steven Koonin, Senior Fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, for the final COBT episode of 2024. Dr. Koonin joined the Hoover Institution this year following 12 years at NYU, serving as a professor in the Schools of Business, Engineering, and Physics. Before his tenure at NYU, Dr. Koonin served as the Under Secretary for Science at the U.S. Department of Energy in the Obama Administration. Our discussion was particularly timely as Dr. Koonin ...
Dec 18, 2024•59 min•Season 2Ep. 259
Today we had a unique and fascinating opportunity to visit with Miguel Galuccio, Chairman and CEO of Vista Energy, at Vista’s offices in Neuquén, Argentina. Miguel is a highly accomplished energy entrepreneur and serves as an Independent Board Member at SLB and GridX in addition to his role at Vista. Prior to founding Vista, Miguel served as the Chairman and CEO of YPF from 2012 to 2016, in addition to several international positions at SLB, most recently serving as President of SLB Production M...
Dec 11, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Season 2Ep. 258
It was an honor today to welcome Dr. Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Dr. Grossi is a distinguished diplomat with an esteemed career spanning 40 years in nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament. He has served as the IAEA’s Director General since December 2019 and was re-appointed for a second four-year term beginning in December 2023. Prior to his current role, Dr. Grossi served as Argentina’s Ambassador to Austria. Other career highlights inclu...
Dec 04, 2024•48 min•Season 2Ep. 257
Since we started COBT in 2020, we have gotten into the tradition of doing a Thanksgiving show each year. In our previous episodes, we have enjoyed showcasing and thanking the hardworking people working in energy who make Thanksgiving Day possible. Without them, the day simply isn’t possible and we extend our thanks to them all again today. This year, we decided to mix it up a bit and thank another important group, America’s World War Two Veterans. Of the 16 million Americans who served in the wa...
Nov 28, 2024•36 min
