Derek Fry
Full-Time MBA '24
Executive Chair, RCIC
Derek is a class of 2024 MBA candidate at Rice University and came to Rice Business to pursue a career in the clean energy space. Prior to enrolling in business school, Derek held several commercial roles at Champion Energy Services, a business unit within Calpine Corporation focused on customer-facing origination efforts and power marketing. Derek graduated from Texas A&M University with a bachelor’s degree in finance and a minor in environmental geosciences.
What is your area of focus? What are your post-MBA career goals?
I am concentrating in energy. My goal post-MBA is to secure a job with a renewable energy developer and operator.
How would you describe ClimateCAP, and why did you attend?
The ClimateCap MBA Summit is a conference where MBAs, business leaders, and experts from around the country gather to learn, discuss and collaborate on various issues at the intersection of climate, energy and business.
At the summit, students learn how climate change is shaping industries and markets, where the biggest financial and operational risks lie, and what promising innovation and entrepreneurship opportunities are emerging.
Connecting with other MBAs with similar career interests was a lot of fun and coffee chatting with sponsors opened the door for potential job opportunities. It was also great reconnecting with finalists from this year’s Rice Cleantech Innovation Competition (RCIC). Attending the conference has definitely been one of the highlights of my MBA experience.
Who were this year’s notable speakers? What are some of your key takeaways?
The speaker lineup was impressive, featuring a diverse range of experts from the energy and climate arena. My key takeaway is that irrespective of one’s profession or industry, every MBA role can contribute to climate solutions.
What ideas relating to your career did ClimateCAP spark?
I found the breakout panel on clean energy supply chains particularly interesting. It provided valuable insights into the sustainability and lifecycle of mining operations and explained the supply-side resource availability of rare earth metals critical to the energy transition. Resource availability is often framed as a crisis, but the panel did an excellent job at cutting through the headlines by thoughtfully explaining fluctuations in the rare earth metal reserves/production ratios.
Aside from ClimateCAP, how else can Rice Business students engage with climate action and sustainability efforts?
Rice Business is also home to the Rice Cleantech Innovation Competition (RCIC), an annual student-run MBA case competition focused on decarbonization and clean technology investment. Finalists and event organizers have the unique opportunity to network with students from other top business schools and interact with professionals in the sector. The competition continues to attract teams from universities nationwide and generate increasing interest among sponsors.
How can ClimateCAP discussions be applied to entrepreneurship and business in Houston?
I think these discussions are already underway in Houston. At ClimateCAP, I honestly felt that the Rice crew was far ahead of the average attendee on most topics related to energy and climate. Houston is the intellectual hub for virtually every segment of the energy industry and has a high concentration of energy know-how ranging from engineering to finance. I believe the talent pool in Houston offers a competitive advantage for both entrepreneurs launching startups and for existing businesses generating cash flow, especially for those businesses working at the intersection of energy, climate, and business.