Carolyn Benton Aiman

Carolyn Benton Aiman’s career path in law led her to the energy industry.    

“I started in law firms and worked for several energy clients,” Benton Aiman said. “I appreciated the work these companies were doing, how they approached communities, and their pride in delivery and the importance of energy. They took the responsibility seriously and I found it inspiring.

“The energy industry also changes lives, including mine in that the wages and compensation can be life-changing for many.”

The Harlingen, Texas, native received her bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of Texas at Austin and her juris doctor with honors from the University of Missouri School of Law. Her clients as outside counsel included Texaco, Apache Corp. and Coastal Corp. Texaco eventually recruited her to join its in-house legal team.

Her rise to the top levels of management was the very definition of the path not taken.

“I was considered for two significant leadership roles and didn’t get either one,” Benton Aiman said. “Both decisionmakers reached out to me and told me not to feel discouraged and that they were confident that I would rise in the organization. That was helpful to get such positive feedback, even after not being the successful candidate.”

Three months later, she was the one chosen to advance, but preparation for the fast track began in her youth.

“I learned how to sell early on,” Benton Aiman said. “Whenever my siblings had fundraisers when we were kids, I was the one who went door to door. It taught me a whole host of skills, including connecting with people, how to communicate concisely and clearly, how to influence people and their choices. I think it helped my entrepreneurial frame of reference. I learned not to take things personally, not to feel (too) dejected when I heard no, and that it only took a few yeses to achieve your goal.”

In her present leadership position as a senior vice president, her approach is to read a lot, ask a lot of questions and try different approaches to learn.

“I am also (mostly) willing to listen to feedback,” she said. “At least, the helpful kind.”

Among her career triumphs was leading the team that shepherded Sempra Infrastructure’s recent LNG project to a final investment decision.

“The cadence and pace was incredible and working across teams, across time zones and with multiple outside counsel,” she said. “It was collaboration in action.” 

Benton Aiman’s counsel to young professionals, particularly women, is both from macro and micro perspectives.

“Stay focused on how energy advances communities,” she advises. “Don’t worry about being an only when you are working on a matter, but use your power to change it as often as you can, as much as you can.”

Also:

• Remember that your colleagues are not your competition;
• You have power and influence no matter where you sit in the organization; and
• The key is to learn how to sit with it, how to use it and how to grow it. 

“My goal in the past was to learn the industry, learn the basics and grow along the way,” Benton Aiman said. “I think continuing to learn and grow is critical. That hasn’t changed. But now I focus more fully on the big picture, leadership and how I can more completely impact the communities in which we do business and building the next generation of energy leaders.”

Building that next generation is necessary for the industry to thrive. 

“The industry must increase its inclusivity and how it develops talent,” she said. “We are in the midst of incredible change and to maintain relevance, importance, sovereignty and continue to meet the next phase, it will take talent, broader thinking and the ability to bring communities along.”

Check out the rest of Hart Energy's 2024 Women in Energy here.