Speakers

Alexandra Africano is a transformative leader with a robust track record in energy business strategy, sustainability, and organizational change. Her broad experience encompasses marketing, business administration, coaching, learning and development, project management, research and design, engineering, innovation, and digital technology development. As a prominent team and community leader, Alexandra excels in both corporate and non-profit sectors, and has significantly contributed as a teaching assistant and leader in STEM and the arts across K-12 schools, universities, and non-profits.

At Siemens Energy AG in Houston, Texas, Alexandra is the Global Business Strategy & Marketing Manager, where she spearheads the development and implementation of global strategies for both traditional oil and gas sectors and the energy transition. Her role involves leading strategic planning, supporting executive management, and engaging with key stakeholders such as the Managing Board and Investor Relations. Her impactful achievements include boosting bidding projects by 60%, enhancing business development for turbo compressors by 40%, and launching a Win-Loss AI integration tool that improved market analysis and collaboration by 50%.

In her role as Sustainability Technical Lead at Siemens Energy, Alexandra is at the forefront of implementing global sustainability programs. She manages a team of 15 employees and guides an additional 200 in advancing climate neutrality and low emissions goals for 2030 and 2050. Alexandra's leadership in executing a life cycle assessment for compressors and steam turbines has markedly improved sustainability practices and technical expertise within just four months.

Before joining Siemens Energy, Alexandra worked as a Process and Controls Engineer at Koch Industries in Enid, Oklahoma. There, she supported plant operations by enhancing the Effluent Water Treatment Process through advanced control systems and data analytics. Her collaboration with cross-functional teams to implement dynamic alarming programming and safety information systems optimized plant operations and efficiency.

Academically, Alexandra is a Teaching Assistant at Rice University’s School of Engineering, focusing on Ethical-Technical Leadership and Data Science for Engineering. She completed her Master of Science in Engineering Management and Leadership with a focus on Chemical Engineering from Rice University in December 2023. Alexandra holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering, Cum Laude, from the University of Tulsa.

Alexandra Africano's extensive expertise and leadership in energy and engineering, coupled with her academic achievements, establish her as a formidable force dedicated to innovation and sustainability.