General Manager, Open Innovation, Shell
Akilah LeBlanc is the General Manager, Open Innovation at Shell. Akilah has an extensive, diverse career in the energy industry, including experience in Finance, Acquisitions & Divestments, Strategy, and Commercial leadership roles in the Downstream, Midstream, and New Energies businesses. She has also served on the Board of Directors for several midstream joint ventures.
In her current role, Akilah leads a global organization dedicated to partnering and collaborating to advance and commercialize technologies that support a net-zero emissions future. This includes the Shell GameChanger Programme, where Shell partners with startups to accelerate the development of energy-related technology solutions; Shell Research Alliance, where Shell collaborates with universities, academic institutions and government agencies to generate deep scientific insights and pave the way for commercial breakthroughs; and Shell TechWorks, dedicated to applying engineering expertise to solve business challenges by developing, derisking, and deploying technology solutions.
Akilah also plays an active role in industry collaborations and advisory boards. She is a Steering Committee member for GCxN, a partnership between Shell’s GameChanger Accelerator and the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NRL, formerly NREL), which helps startups advance their technologies to accelerate the energy transition. Akilah also serves as a member of the Greentown Labs Houston Advisory Board, further supporting innovation and entrepreneurship in the energy sector.
Akilah is a native Houstonian and holds a BSBA in Finance from the University of Tulsa and a Master’s degree in Organizational Development and Leadership from the University of San Francisco.