Energy Advisory Board Spotlight: Jim Gable, Chevron Technology Ventures By Angela Jardina
Recently named as vice president of innovation and president of Chevron Technology Ventures, Jim Gable cites the grand-scale impact of energy as the driving force behind his work.
“Energy provides so much value and drives human progress when we think about all the things that energy is used for,” Gable said. “It is a massive industry that provides so much good that I was really excited to join and tackle some of the big challenges that we face.”
Gable has sought to lead the charge in addressing those challenges for Chevron for 24 years. Initially starting out in early-stage technology. Gable led the Venture Capital team within CTV from 2003-2007. Here, Gable said, is where he “got a feel for what external companies can offer, how to work with universities, and how to develop and deploy technology inside of a large corporation.”
After that stint, Gable worked in operating roles managing a chemical plant and one of Chevron’s smaller refineries before returning to CTV to oversee the development and deployment of downstream-related technology before assuming his current role.
After that stint, Gable worked in operating roles managing a chemical plant and one of Chevron’s smaller refineries before returning to CTV to oversee the development and deployment of downstream-related technology before assuming his current role.
Intrigued by the scale and the geopolitical context of the industry, Gable leans on three criteria as his mantra throughout the energy transition: affordable, reliable and ever cleaner. This echoes the sentiments shared by Texas Southern University professor Robert Bullard during his lecture at UH earlier this year. Gable agrees with Bullard that accessibility and affordability should be a central concern in the energy transition.
“I think that it [affordability] is critical,” Gable said. “If we embark on well-intended lower carbon solutions at the expense of affordable energy, then it is going to be a real disservice to the billions of people who depend on inexpensive energy to drive their lives every day – to drive progress.”
While details of that progress aren’t fully shaped yet, Gable encourages students to work in industry and be a part of the solution, adding that the energy Coogs are particularly equipped for what awaits.
“The solutions to some of the challenges it faces aren’t understood right now,” Gable said. “No one knows how we are going to manage this evolution, this energy transition, we are going to need a lot of super sharp, hard-working folks to get into the sector and drive change. That is what the University of Houston can provide.”
To that end, Gable’s personal journey largely informs his advice to new graduates looking to work in the field, as he encourages students to be good team players by taking on the unexpected. By being open to filling positions that he hadn’t expected to fill, Gable increased his knowledge, noting that his time in operating roles taught him “what technology needs to do in order to drive value.”
In his personal recipe for success, he advises students to remember three things: be hardworking, be a good person, and be a good team player. “Continually try to increase your tool kit,” Gable said.
Gable believes that the University of Houston has many unique attributes to capitalize on, and what he finds most compelling is the entrepreneurial nature of the school.
“What a great school to go to in order to learn how to start a business, and how to be successful,” he said. “[UH is an] excellent technical school that is developing some really interesting energy technologies in the carbon capture space and other areas of energy. When you combine those things – entrepreneurialism, technology, and local talent – who are invested in Houston, want to work in Houston and stay in Houston, it really makes for a fantastic overall ecosystem that is Houston.”