“I can see the curve of the earth from up here,” says Todd Blasdel of the view from his office in Oklahoma City. “It’s quite spectacular.” The Lead for Strategic Innovation at Devon Energy has a 42nd floor office in Oklahoma’s tallest building, and his window on the world is a lot like his job description: “I not only scout external innovations, but I also facilitate internal innovations,” he says, “while always keeping in mind a couple of strategic problems Devon needs to solve.”

As Blasdel focuses on the big picture, he envisions how the smaller pieces fit together. “I would say that our most successful internal projects have occurred when we take new technologies from several different areas and put them together to address our unique needs at Devon.”

“Another innovative thing we do is to make a different application of an emerging technology.”

Interviewed by Kyle Golding for The Golding Group.