James Brady

Throughout my 35-year career as an executive in oilfield service companies, I’ve been captivated by the synergy of hardware, software, and information technology. When these three disciplines come together to solve the big technical challenges of this industry, real transformation can occur.That’s what’s happening today, as the Digital landscape continues to reshape how we work and how we envision the future of energy. On many levels, Digital is the linchpin for delivering the energy the world needs, meeting our Net Zero goals, and keeping our businesses efficient, stable, and resilient. The profound impact of Digital is one that I consider every day in my role at Baker Hughes – and as a leader who’s experienced the good and bad cycles within this industry, I’m convinced that the best approach to Digital is one that’s pragmatic, patient, and collaborative. This belief factors into the decisions I make about the Baker Hughes Oilfield Services & Equipment Digital portfolio – from capitalizing on our strengths to filling our gaps through in-house innovation, strategic partnerships, and mergers and acquisitions. Recently, the explosion of interest in advances in AI has been the talk of our industry, and all industries. AI was my field of study in graduate school (yes the '80s) and it is with fascination i watch its exponential expansion now that we have the compute power to allow it. Yet , like any tech, the value is really all about adaption and change and at Baker Hughes we strive to be balanced in AI technology investment, AI infra investment, and adaption/impact. Before becoming fascinated with Digital, I cut my teeth working in information technology and manufacturing for some well-known names, like Schlumberger (now SLB), and for some bold upstarts, like Katerra and Digital Impact Consulting. I earned a master’s degree in electrical and computer engineering at the University of Texas in Austin, and I hold a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and economics from the University of California in Santa Barbara.I really enjoy connecting with people who are on a mission to harness the transformative power of Digital technology in propelling energy and industry forward.