Ep. 17 Interview with William Foiles | Can Emissions Monitoring Drive Operational Efficiency?

Ep. 17 Interview with William Foiles | Can Emissions Monitoring Drive Operational Efficiency?

Methane has become one of the biggest topics in oil and gas, but the conversation is changing. It's no longer just about adding more sensors or collecting more data. It's about using that data effectively.In this episode, Ben West sits down with Will Foiles, Co Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Project Canary, to discuss how methane management is evolving, why operators are moving towards a mix of monitoring technologies, and where AI and machine learning can help improve decision making and operational performance.They also explore how changing US regulations are affecting methane strategies, whether companies are spending emissions budgets more effectively, and how better data could create value for operators, investors, and asset buyers alike.

Ep. 16 Interview with Michael Rigg | Are Investors Underestimating the Next Decade of Oil & Gas?

In this episode of The Energy Pragmatist, Ben West sits down with Michael Rigg, Chief Investment Officer, Diversified Energy Company, to discuss the evolving landscape of upstream oil and gas investing, the rise of asset-backed securitizations (ABS), and why many investors may still be underestimating the long-term opportunity across the energy sector. Drawing on his experience leading business development and M&A at Diversified Energy Company, Michael explains how the company has built a differentiated strategy around PDP-heavy acquisitions, durable free cash flow, and long-life asset optimization. The conversation explores how ABS financing has reshaped upstream valuations, why capital is flowing back into PDP assets, and how Diversified is positioning itself for the next phase of growth. The discussion also dives into the broader macro backdrop shaping oil and gas markets today, including geopolitical risk, OPEC dynamics, LNG demand growth, AI-driven power demand, and the changing behavior of both public and private operators.

Ep.15 Interview with Mark Wade | The Great Repricing of Energy

In this episode of The Energy Pragmatist, Ben West sits down with Mark Wade, Partner at CAZ Investments to discuss why energy is becoming attractive to generalist investors again. The conversation explores U.S. natural gas, LNG export growth, power demand driven by AI and data centers, geopolitical risk in global energy markets, and why private energy assets remain undervalued relative to broader private markets. Mark also shares how CAZ Investments approaches thematic investing, manager selection, downside protection, and where he sees the most compelling opportunities across upstream, midstream, infrastructure, and power markets today.

EP. 14 Interview with Ken Hersh | Why Energy Investing Is Ultimately a People Business

In this episode of The Energy Pragmatist, interviewer Ben West sits down with Ken Hersh, Chairman of HFI Capital Management and co-founder of NGP, for a wide-ranging conversation on commodity cycles, geopolitics, and the evolving investment landscape in oil and gas. Drawing on decades of experience, Hersh shares lessons from building one of the most influential energy private equity firms, discusses why successful investing ultimately comes down to backing great people, and unpacks how today’s market volatility, LNG demand, and global supply risks are reshaping energy markets. The discussion offers valuable insights for family offices and long-term investors navigating the future of energy investing.

Ep. 13: Interview with Rob West, Founder & Lead Analyst, Thunder Said Energy

In this episode, Amy Miller sits down with Rob to unpack one of the most powerful forces shaping energy today: AI. From oilfields to manufacturing lines, they explore how AI is quietly transforming the industry, driving efficiency, lowering costs, and challenging assumptions around future power demand. Rob explains why AI is both the biggest risk and the biggest opportunity, and why its impact may be less about massive data centres and more about thousands of small, high-impact applications. The conversation also dives into what this means for gas demand, LNG growth, and how energy markets could evolve as technology, geopolitics, and consumption patterns shift in parallel.