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By the end of the night, Valero Energy Corporation had walked away with all of the hardware. Every December, the S&P Global’s Platts Global Energy Awards recognizes energy companies from the United States, United Kingdom, Denmark, Uzbekistan, India, Singapore, and the United Arab Emirates who are finding new ways to innovate in the energy space.
Valero Energy was the clear winner of the night during the 2022 event, taking home gold for “Energy Company of the Year,” “Corporate Impact Award for Sustained Commitment,” and “Strategic Deal of the Year.” According to the awards panel, Valero Energy’s “clear and viable roadmap” for creating a greener future was primarily responsible for landing the company these honors. Factors including the company’s investments, carbon capture sequestration projects, and renewable diesel projects were specifically highlighted.
It was a year of highlights for Valero Energy as the PGA Tour’s Valero Texas Open celebrated its one-hundredth anniversary, the third oldest PGA tournament in existence. The Valero Texas Open has raised over $209 million for various charities during its century-long run, and 2022 was the perfect moment to celebrate a profound milestone. This year alone, the event raised a record-breaking $22 million for charity.
Kirstin Silberschlag’s tenure with Valero Energy may not be a century-long, but it’s still incredibly impressive. The senior vice president and deputy general counsel has been in-house since 2004. Silberschlag has netted seven promotions during her nearly nineteen years at the company and has many other accomplishments under her belt. The lawyer has routinely been recognized as a “Best Of” San Antonio lawyer in both “Business” and “International Oil and Gas” categories. Additionally, Silberschlag has been recognized as San Antonio’s “Outstanding Woman in Law” and Inside Counsel’s “R-3 100” list of women ready for general counsel roles in the next three years.
At present, Silberschlag oversees legal teams in multiple regions including the US, Latin America, Canada, and the UK. The lawyer acts as senior legal and regulatory affairs counsel, but also has deep commercial, operations and development, governance, and international trade experience.
Prior to going in-house, Silberschlag amassed experience with judicial clerkships in both New York and Texas along with litigation and international trade experience at a San Antonio firm. Along with her global role, Silberschlag has also found time to dedicate to causes that matter to her. The lawyer is a member of the board of trustees at the McNay Art Museum and is also a former board member of the Christian Assistance Ministries, the DoSeum, and St. Luke’s Episcopal Church.
It’s assuredly an interesting time to be helping shape energy policy, as big oil more than doubled its profits in 2022, amassing a new record of $219 billion, despite the volatility of energy prices brought about by multiple factors, including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
With energy companies like Valero Energy putting that cash toward more renewable projects, sites like its Diamond Green Diesel operation that produces more than 700 million gallons of renewable diesel will become more common and less of a novelty in the energy space.
