October Webinar Recap
Click here for the link to the webinar recording!
In October, BYU Connect welcomed Travis Bourne, a seasoned professional in corporate finance with over 20 years of experience at ExxonMobil. Travis currently serves as the Digital Strategy and Sustainment Manager within ExxonMobil’s Planning and Stewardship organization, where he leads initiatives in business analytics and financial reporting. Throughout the webinar, Travis shared invaluable insights on his career journey, the evolving corporate landscape, and his passion for mentorship. Here are some of the key takeaways:
1. An Indirect Path to ExxonMobil:
Travis’s Journey and the Mentors Who Guided Him
Travis’s path to ExxonMobil was shaped by unexpected connections and pivotal mentorships along the way. Before pursuing his MBA at Northwestern University, he held roles in various fields, and he shared stories about how friendships and mentors helped steer him toward a future in corporate finance. He noted how people he didn’t initially see as career allies became instrumental in connecting him with key opportunities that led to his long-standing career at ExxonMobil. His journey highlights how invaluable a network of genuine relationships can be, even if they don’t appear relevant to one’s goals at first.
2. A Day in the Life at ExxonMobil: Leveraging Networking to Create Opportunities
In discussing his current role, Travis offered a fascinating look into the day-to-day of corporate finance at ExxonMobil. He reflected on how his time at BYU, where he studied Business Management (Finance) and Spanish Translation, taught him critical thinking and problem-solving skills that laid the foundation for his career. However, his job at ExxonMobil is very different from his college days—he shared that he spends around 80% of his time in meetings, collaborating with global teams to tackle complex challenges. Early in his career, this level of collaborative problem-solving wasn’t as central, showing how professional roles evolve with experience and technology.
Travis encouraged attendees to participate in all workplace networking opportunities, such as dinners, service projects, and social events, even if they don’t seem relevant immediately. Building connections across functions and departments has enriched his career, and he emphasized that expanding one’s network often leads to unexpected opportunities.
3. Mentorship in Action: How Travis Pays It Forward by Guiding Future Leaders
As someone who benefited from the guidance of mentors, Travis is now passionate about giving back. He actively seeks out opportunities to help students, especially at BYU, as he recruits and advises young professionals. Balancing a demanding career with family life, he incorporates service as an essential element, finding it to be one of the most fulfilling ways to stay connected with his values and his faith. Travis shared that mentorship is not only a way to contribute to others’ growth but also a meaningful way to draw closer to Christ.
