Change agents

Navigating big transitions—whether in your career or across an entire global industry—requires a bold vision, a steady hand and a deep understanding of what’s at stake. Allyson Anderson Book brings all of that and more to her role as chief sustainability officer at Baker Hughes, where she leads the company’s energy transition strategy. From advancing sustainable operations to developing policies that accelerate real-world solutions, she’s helping reshape what the future of energy can look like.

Before joining Baker Hughes, Anderson Book was the executive director of the American Geosciences Institute and held several positions in academia, policy and government. While she’s not a Mines graduate herself, she’s a strong partner to the university, regularly collaborating with students, faculty and alumni to push the energy industry forward.

We sat down with Anderson Book to talk about what it takes to lead through change, particularly when stepping into a new role, and how Mines graduates can continue to position themselves at the forefront of the energy industry. Here’s some of what she had to say.

Mines Magazine: You joined Baker Hughes as chief sustainability officer at a critical time when the company was first looking to support a net-zero strategy across its operations. How do you navigate stepping into a new role and effectively leading change?

Allyson Anderson Book: Throughout my career path, I’ve never shied away from trying new things. You’ve got to really have a growth mindset and be open to change. A lot of times, when people see change, they think it’s scary—I’ve certainly thought that myself. And then they sometimes think the change is happening because of something they did. But, in fact, it usually has nothing to do with them. You have to make sure that people understand that when you’re coming in and having the conversation that you’re upfront and earnest and let them know that this is good for the organization to go in this direction.

MM: many Mines graduates end up working in the energy sector, at companies like Baker Hughes. Why do you think they are particularly well-suited for the industry?

Anderson Book: I didn’t go to Mines, but in another life, maybe I did because I’m a super fan. One area I’ve seen Mines doing really well is teaching more systems thinking, which is critical. There are other schools that have really strong engineering programs, but Mines is the best-kept secret. At Mines, people tend to go into an area with this really great breadth of knowledge that allows them to change a big machine or invent some other new way of running something in a really smart way. It all becomes very systems focused. This is why, when I think about investing in an academic partnership, I look to Mines.

MM: How do you think Mines graduates can take advantage of opportunities in a continually evolving energy industry?

Anderson Book: Don’t stay too fixed on a concept. As I look back on my career, I’ve never stayed fixed on one concept. As an undergrad, I thought I was going to go into environmental work. But on the bulletin board in the student lounge, there was a flyer for AAPG that had a $5 membership for students. I was like, hmm, it’s five bucks, I should join that. Even though I was not into petroleum, I joined. Same with Geological Society of America. I kept an open mind, even though part of me didn’t think it was in my DNA. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

As a student at Mines, consider all extractive industries, because you’re providing something that is essential to life on our planet. Without energy and without water, we’re basically not going to have food at scale to support this hugely populated planet. Everything we do here leads to a better way of life, and I think that’s really exciting. It’s always motivated me. That’s why I joined Baker Hughes. In every role I take, I want to have a bigger and bigger impact. 

Imagine if this company becomes much more sustainable and we take those behaviors into the communities where we work. We can increase their way of life if they can turn on steady, affordable energy. GDP goes up. Quality of life goes up. They get better access to education, food. You’re going to work for a company that has the ability to literally move markets and change the world. That is amazing.