What has shaped my character
I’m grateful for the many experiences that have shaped me into who I am today. My life has been a blend of saying “Yes” to opportunities and embracing the roller coaster of risks, learning, and growth. This has brought me a lot of different experiences and life lessons that I enjoy sharing while supporting people’s own growth journeys.
My professional career spans over thirty years in the energy industry where I have earned a respected reputation for my leadership and contributions in the industry. I have taken risks in my career by saying “Yes” to jobs that were very ambitious, outside my expertise at times, which required household moves with my husband and two children. Having lived in Texas, Louisiana, France, and Malaysia, each move brought with it invaluable lessons in adaptability. Navigating different cultures and unfamiliar territories alongside my family broadened my perspective and strengthened our bonds. These experiences taught me the importance of embracing diversity and being a globally minded leader.
Raised in a lower-middle-class family, I learned the value of resilience and resourcefulness from an early age. The experience of financial struggle, mainly when my father lost different jobs, left a profound impact on me, and shaped my perspective on the importance of ambition and financial independence. Setting aspirational goals and believing you can achieve them has been key motivators in my life. This means putting in the effort, learning new things and getting out of your comfort zone. Financial independence is a core element I have put focus on which has supported positive career changes, speaking up, and advocating for others, notably when it requires professional courage.
Through my upbringing and having worked with many different leaders during my career, I have formed my own unique inspirational leadership style. This style emphasizes authenticity, empathy, and creating an environment of psychological safety where every individual feels valued and heard. These characteristics were so important when I led global multibillion dollar businesses and as the CHRO supporting over 140,000 employees including recruiting graduates to handling complex executive career transitions. Utilizing these experiences, I now serve as a Board Director on public and private companies’ boards.
With Blue Sky Ambition, I believe everyone has potential to set their ambitions high and achieve more in both their personal and professional lives. I’m driven by a passionate commitment to support people in coaching and helping them attain their desired goals. I enjoy sharing my experiences and knowledge via inspirational keynotes and selected courses and podcasts.
With Blue Sky Ambition, I’m driven by a passionate commitment to support others as they embark on their professional journey. I invite you to join me in embracing growth, resilience, and the limitless potential that lies ahead. Together, let’s reach for the blue skies of our ambitions and soar to new heights!
– Stephanie Cox
30+ Years of Global Business Leadership Expertise
Stephanie Cox is a dynamic leader known for her authentic and inspiring leadership style, dedicated to enabling individuals to reach their full potential. As a leader in the energy industry, Stephanie serves on public and private boards, bringing decades of experience in executive leadership transitions, operations, strategy, transformations, and talent management.
Her professional career includes being the former Executive President of Wood PLC’s global Operations business unit and was the CEO of Americas at Wood PLC. Prior to joining Wood PLC, Stephanie was with SLB for 28 years and held multiple executive operational and functional roles including leading the North American operations based in Houston, Asia Pacific operations based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and as the CHRO based in Paris, France. She led diverse high performing teams across multi-billion-dollar operations emphasizing a people-first approach in all endeavors.
Stephanie currently serves on the boards of Alliant Energy, Technip Energies, Terra CO₂, and Xplorobot. She has been recognized as one of the “25 Most Influential Women in Energy” by Hart Energy Oil & Gas Investor and as one of the “50 Most Powerful Women in Oil and Gas” by the National Diversity Council.
As the founder of Blue Sky Ambition, Stephanie brings her wealth of experience and expertise to support individuals and organizations through executive and professional career coaching, keynote speaking engagements, career placement, and financial independence courses. With her authentic leadership and passion for driving positive change, Stephanie is dedicated to helping her clients achieve their ambitions and reach new heights of success!