Fail Fast, Learn and Innovate feat. Tim Okabayashi ’05

Owl Have You Know

When it comes to alumni engagement, few Owls are as deeply connected as Tim Okabayashi. A proud Rice Business alum, Tim not only earned his MBA here but also served as president of the Rice Business Student Association, volunteered with the admissions office, and played a key role in the consulting club. In October 2020, Tim and fellow alum Karen Crofton ’10 launched the Owl Have You Know podcast, bringing the vibrant stories of Rice alumni to life.

Today, Tim is a consulting manager for SLB’s end-to-end emissions solutions. His career has taken him from Kuala Lumpur, where he supported operations across Asia, to his current home in London, where he lives with his wife Casey and their two children.

In this episode, host Maya Pomroy ’22 — who shares not just a Rice connection but also a high school alma mater with Tim — catches up with him on his dynamic career, the power of the Rice alumni network, and his ongoing dedication to the school that shaped his journey. Tune in to hear about Tim's international experiences, his insights on the evolving energy sector, and how embracing failure is key to driving innovation.

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Episode Guide:

00:55 High School Reunion and Rice Connection

02:07 Choosing Rice for his MBA

04:31 Engagement with the extensive Rice Alumni Network

09:53 Launching this Podcast!

16:27 Tim’s Career Journey Post-Graduation

18:32 International Assignments and Family Support

20:26 The Future of Energy and SLB

31:11 Personal Reflections and Advice

Owl Have You Know is a production of Rice Business and is produced by University FM.

Episode Quotes:

On the future of energy

21:36: [Maya] What do you see for the future? You know, because we have energy transition, we've got so many exciting things on the horizon, also with AI and drilling technology, and clean energy. What are you the most excited about, of what's coming up in the next, I mean, five to seven years?

21:55: [Tim Okabayashi] I'm most excited about the continuation of that, of just the advancement of technology throughout the oil field and new energy, and alternative energy, and transition energy. Like at the heart of it, the research and development; technology development is really the key enabler. And it takes time to develop this technology, commercialize it, and then have adoption, right? And this process requires people. And yes, big data and AI can certainly assist, but at the heart of it, there's still this need for people and researchers and ideas and science.

On the growing impact of Owl Have You Know podcast

15:21: The opportunities to expand your reach virtually are pretty phenomenal these days. And, I think the Owl Have You Know platform is a great one that continues to grow and expand with the different programs and subject themes, and the interviews with the staff and academics and highlighting the research, I think it's incredible. I think there's a lot of room for how I'll have, you know, to become a really central part of Rice business as well as the business community.

Tim’s global perspectives in oil and gas

19:59: [Maya] You've worked a lot in Asia and in the Asian market. What were some of the surprises and some of those aha moments while you were in Asia?

20:07: [Tim Okabayashi] One of my biggest learnings was actually passed to me from a colleague. And at the time, I kind of brushed it off, but he said, like, "You know, Tim, the world is such a small term for such a large place." And I think often in times in oil and gas, we think of the natural resources, you know, crude or natural gas, as really being just commodities, and it's the same anywhere. But that's really not true. I mean, to a certain degree, it is by the chemistry, but then again, the methods and the people and the culture around the activities in different parts of the world can be uniquely different. And that is something that I had grown to have a great appreciation of when I moved abroad.

Show Links:

• MBA Student Clubs - Rice Business
• Consulting Club – Career Development Office | Rice Business
• Rice Alliance
• Karen Crofton | Jones Graduate School of Business at Rice University
• Transcript
  
  

Guest Profiles:

• Tim Okabayashi | LinkedIn
• SLB
• Mic Check | Jones Graduate School of Business at Rice University

Listen to Diana Handjelan episode on Navigating the Energy Transition here: https://business.rice.edu/owlhaveyouknow/season-4-episode-10