Leo Luft
Vice President of Business Development
CAVU International
Mr. Luft, VP of Business Development at CAVU International, has coached and mentored in oil and gas since 2013. He works across all leadership levels in high-reliability organizations, specializing in leadership development, safety management, human performance, and cultural integration in M&A. He transfers best practices in planning, communication, execution, and debriefs to strengthen operations. Fluent in German, English, and Russian.
Participates in
TECHNICAL PROGRAMME | Energy Leadership
Human Capital - Attracting, Training and Retaining
Forum 30 | Technical Programme Hall 5
29
April
14:30
16:00
UTC+3
The global energy sector faces a dual challenge: meeting rising demand while competing for top talent in a marketplace where industries such as technology and finance often appear more attractive to emerging professionals. Attracting, developing, and retaining skilled individuals requires more than competitive pay—it requires building a culture where people feel valued, supported, and empowered to grow.
This paper examines how leadership development and human performance coaching can serve as critical differentiators in talent strategy. Drawing from case studies across oil, gas, chemical manufacturing, port infrastructure, and wind energy, it shows how deliberate investment in individuals—through field-based coaching, leadership development, and continuous improvement cycles—drives stronger safety, performance, and retention.
Structured leadership programs—designed to cascade from senior executives to frontline supervisors—create lasting cultural impact. When leaders consistently model shared values and behaviors, organizations build alignment, accountability, and trust. Embedding these principles into supervisors’ daily practices directly influences safety, performance, engagement, and retention.
Key findings show:
By positioning leadership and human performance development not only as operational investments but as people-focused strategies, energy companies close leadership gaps, strengthen resilience, and enhance loyalty. Reframed as retention multipliers, these initiatives address the challenge of sustaining a high-performing workforce through the energy transition.
Ultimately, the evidence underscores a simple truth: investing in people is investing in performance. Companies that embed structured, cascading leadership programs create cultures that reduce incidents, improve outcomes, attract talent, and ensure smoother integration during change. In doing so, they build workplaces where talent chooses to join, stay, and lead the future of energy.
This paper examines how leadership development and human performance coaching can serve as critical differentiators in talent strategy. Drawing from case studies across oil, gas, chemical manufacturing, port infrastructure, and wind energy, it shows how deliberate investment in individuals—through field-based coaching, leadership development, and continuous improvement cycles—drives stronger safety, performance, and retention.
Structured leadership programs—designed to cascade from senior executives to frontline supervisors—create lasting cultural impact. When leaders consistently model shared values and behaviors, organizations build alignment, accountability, and trust. Embedding these principles into supervisors’ daily practices directly influences safety, performance, engagement, and retention.
Key findings show:
- Improved safety and reliability: Incident rates decrease when supervisors receive targeted leadership and communication training, enabling proactive risk management and open reporting.
- Greater engagement and retention: Early-career employees remain longer when mentorship and human factors coaching are integrated into operations, reinforcing growth opportunities at every stage.
- Operational resilience: A shared leadership language and consistent development framework provide stability in transitions, align cultures, and minimize disruptions.
- Cross-sector applicability: In wind energy, coaching bridged leadership gaps in operations, improving operator–contractor communication, situational awareness, and technician participation while fostering inclusion and loyalty.
- Competitive differentiation: A visible commitment to leadership development signals that companies offer not just a job, but a career path with advancement and long-term support.
By positioning leadership and human performance development not only as operational investments but as people-focused strategies, energy companies close leadership gaps, strengthen resilience, and enhance loyalty. Reframed as retention multipliers, these initiatives address the challenge of sustaining a high-performing workforce through the energy transition.
Ultimately, the evidence underscores a simple truth: investing in people is investing in performance. Companies that embed structured, cascading leadership programs create cultures that reduce incidents, improve outcomes, attract talent, and ensure smoother integration during change. In doing so, they build workplaces where talent chooses to join, stay, and lead the future of energy.
