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Energy Trading & Energy Lab in Houston & San Francisco
Within the scope of the program, students from the MBA Energy Management completed an International Immersion in Texas and San Francisco, USA. During that, students learned about the linkage between physical and financial oil and gas markets, the role of financial markets as efficient conveyors of information and assessors of risk, as well as about principles of option and derivative-claim valuation, hedging and uses. Besides focusing on the theory, the International Immersion contained several teaching cases, guest talks and company visits to a range of established firms. Our MBA students got a deeper understanding of energy management, corporate strategy, and sustainability. Furthermore, they gained valuable insights to shape their future in the energy sector and beyond. Last but not least, the students were able to enjoy the unique facets of these cities in their leisure time and grow together as a cohort.
Interactive Academic Input & Expert Talks
Ehud I. Ronn, professor of Finance at University of Texas at Austin, gave academic input about Energy Trading as well as price formation mechanism in the oil and gas industry. The MBA students got introduced to how energy corporations manage their business risk exposures, and the derivative securities which can be utilized for this purpose. Furthermore, incredible guest speaker Rodolfo Guzman gave insights into the geopolitical context and challenges of the energy transition for the oil and gas industry. Additionally, Jim Krane from Rice University gave a captivating lecture about geopolitics and the energy transition.
Next Stop after Houston: Bay Area, San Francisco
Arrived at Berkeley, Bernhard Bauer, Senior Regional Vice President at Siemens, gave academic input about recent strategic challenges and shared valuable experiences with our MBA students. Furthermore, Nan Jia, Dean’s Associate Professor of Business Administration at Marshall School of Business (University of Southern California), talked about corporate political strategy. Moreover, the guest talk from Barbara Buchner, Global Managing Director of Climate Policy Initiative and Director of The Global Innovation Lab for Climate Finance, enriched the program with a keynote and discussion of how we can proceed in a world in the middle of a global climate crisis.
Our students also got the opportunity to arrive at the mesmerizing campus of Stanford University to meet the adjunct professor Markus Zechner who gave a fascinating overview of the applications of artificial intelligence and carbon capture & storage. Thanks to Markus’ long history at Stanford, he was also a great campus tour guide and at the same time answered follow up questions to his research!
Daniel Zawarczynski, Austrian Trade Commissioner to the USA (ADVANTAGE AUSTRIA), concluded the trip to California with a smart presentation of the start-up scene and shared his general experience of the development of the San Francisco Bay Area.
Company Visits
After the rich and illuminating discussions in Houston, the students headed to Intelligent Wellhead Systems in Fulshear where they had a deep dive into oil and digital solutions in Texas. Following a delicious Texan BBQ, they enjoyed an informative presentation of this rapidly growing company in the heart of Texas. CEO William Standifird and his team gave them a great and entertaining overview of the product portfolio and introduced them to the Texan oil industry.
The stay in Texas was finalized with a visit to NASA – National Aeronautics and Space Administration – and the Space Center Houston.
In California, the students visited eMeter Corporation, a Siemens business, where they got to meet Kathy Robertson Shaffer, the Head of Product Managament at eMeter Corporation. She gave insights into eMeter, data management systems and other interesting perspective on the energy industry.
Cultural Discoveries
The MBA students grew closer in the warm and sunny days of early summer in Houston. Whether it was the Museum of Natural Science, experiencing Houston from a rooftop bar, or going out for great dinners, the time flew by. The students even managed to catch a Houston Astros game!
To begin the stay in the Bay Area, some of the students enjoyed leisure time by attending a thrilling baseball game at the incredible stadium in San Francisco. Fortunately, luck was on their side as the SF Giants emerged victorious!
Finally, the MBA students indulged themselves into a spectacular boat cruise in the Bay Area! They enjoyed the different perspective on San Francisco and had a great view on Alcatraz while having a farewell drink was a great way to bring the group even closer together. An unforgettable experience for all of them!
