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Edwin Suarez came to Houston-based Signal Energy, looking to make a bigger impact. He’d driven results in massive organizations like GE, Marathon Oil, and Sumitomo Corporation. This was now his chance to bring that experience to a company amid rapid scaling while navigating transformational change in the broader energy sector.
“At this stage of the organization, I’m able to operate closer to the business and drive tangible outcomes in a more direct way,” explains the current vice president of digital technology, who last spoke with Hispanic Executive in 2023. “As Signal Energy continues to scale, I have the opportunity to drive technological transformation and create meaningful outcomes for our clients, our shareholders, and our employees.”
Suarez was drawn to Signal Energy by three defining factors: its rapid growth trajectory, the opportunity to position digital as a core business driver, and a culture built around high-performing teams. He made the deliberate move toward a higher-velocity environment aligned with his strengths in building, scaling growth, and delivering results. The VP says the internal culture at Signal Energy is more akin to a startup than a traditional energy company.
The impact of that decision became clear within the first six months. While his previous experience provided valuable perspective, Signal Energy offered a closer connection to execution and business outcomes. The alignment between leadership, culture, and ambition reinforced that he was in the right environment to create meaningful, long-lasting impact.
“It’s more than just an exciting career move,” Suarez says. “From the earliest conversations, it was clear this was a team of people I genuinely respect. Time is the most valuable resource we have, and I want to spend it building alongside people I admire.”
Suarez brings a distinctive combination of product management and development depth, operational discipline, and people leadership shaped by seventeen years at GE and global roles across multiple countries. At Signal Energy, he has repositioned IT into digital technology, elevating the function from a support function to a unifying, cross-cutting force across the enterprise. His mandate is to ensure digital technology directly enables business scale, from CEO-led growth initiatives to the maturation of core business operations. Key priorities include modernizing infrastructure, strengthening cybersecurity, establishing data governance, and building a foundational business architecture required to grow the company with discipline and consistency.
He is no stranger to delivering impact-filled results. Previously at Ascend, he codeveloped a $253 million SaaS blockchain platform accelerating payments; at GE, digital innovations boosted revenue by $25 million. At Signal Energy, he is advancing the organization by combining the discipline of a large enterprise with the agility required to move quickly. This approach is enabling the digitization of EPC workflows, the integration of AI capabilities, and the development of client-facing tools that deliver certainty, reduce risk, and accelerate execution.
Looking ahead, Suarez is focused on making technology a true competitive advantage by empowering employees, unlocking operational efficiency, and accelerating Signal Energy’s “North Star” by delivering safe, high-quality EPC projects safely, on time, and on budget, all while exceeding customer expectations. His vision centers on digitizing critical operational workflows—from equipping field teams with better tools to leveraging data and analytics to unlock enterprise value—building on a track record of driving similar transformations at scale.
“I’m passionate about using digital technology to create real customer value,” Suarez says. “We are building toward that vision. The opportunity in front of us is exciting, and I’m confident in what we can accomplish together as a team.”
None of this change management is easy, and it’s not supposed to be.
“I started getting back to the gym recently,” Suarez says. “And that next day can really be awful. You’re sore, but you must remember that means your body is rebuilding itself stronger than it was before. That’s what we’re doing here. In the right ways, that pain is an important milestone in reaching your objectives and a vital part of the experience.”
Suarez says the two qualities that best embody his ethos are adaptability and curiosity. His adaptability allows him to create meaningful changes across organizations of different sizes, scopes, and cultures. His curiosity continues to propel him forward investing in continuing education as he scaled his career, taking on coursework resulting in an MS in Engineering and Management and an MBA both from the MIT Sloan School of Business.
“Part of my drive is wanting to be a servant leader, being available to others, while the other part of it is more self-centered,” the VP explains. “I feel I still have a lot of potential inside me that I want to maximize. It’s more intrinsic, but I want to harness my drive to make an impact for more than just myself. I also want to empower and spotlight Hispanics in leadership positions like mine, because I don’t see enough of us here in the tech space. As T.S. Elliot once said, ‘Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.’ We have a collective responsibility to mentor and foster the next generation of Hispanic leaders.”
Coming to Signal Energy six months ago was a manifestation of that passion. And Suarez has so much more to give as he makes an impact in the energy sector.
