Executing Deals in Uncertain Times: M&A Insights from the Pros

Mr. Buchanan is a Partner at PPHB, LP, an independent investment bank providing strategic, financial and capital raising advisory services to energy services companies. Mr. Buchanan started with PPHB as an analyst in 2006 and worked his way up through the ranks of Associate and Vice President and ultimately was promoted to Partner in 2014. His responsibilities include managing the operating staff, leading and supporting transactions as well as sourcing new clients. Mr. Buchanan grew up in the energy industry and has always had a keen interest in the segment. In his spare time Mr. Buchanan enjoys spending time with his wife and three sons as well as spending time doing almost anything outdoors.

Mr. Buchanan received his BBA in finance from Texas A&M University and MBA from The University of Texas at Austin.

Mr. Hardin is a Director in Houlihan Lokey’s Industrials Group, with a primary focus on the Oilfield Services & Equipment industry. Over the last few years, he has worked on a wide range of sellside and buyside M&A transactions, recapitalizations, strategic alternatives advisory engagements, fairness and solvency opinions, and restructurings for companies across the energy services sector.  He is based in the firm’s Dallas office.

Prior to joining Houlihan Lokey, Mr. Hardin was part of the corporate finance group at Wachovia Securities. Before that, he was part of the investment banking division in Merrill Lynch’s New York office. Earlier, he was an Associate in the operations group at Maverick Capital and a Senior Associate in PricewaterhouseCoopers’ business assurance division.

Mr. Hardin graduated magna cum laude from Texas Tech University with a B.B.A. and an M.S. in Accounting, and he holds an MBA from the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University. He holds the designation of Chartered Financial Analyst and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Sanjiv Shah joined the energy services and equipment investment banking team at Simmons Energy | A Division of Piper Jaffray℠ in early 2008 and has worked on more than 100 successful M&A, strategic advisory and capital markets projects during that time. 

Prior to joining the firm, Shah worked for Citigroup for four years in London and Zurich, in fixed income credit markets and the financial institutions group, respectively. In Zurich, he worked as a corporate banker covering the banking and insurance sectors and in London, he worked as a controller for the European global loans and leveraged finance product groups. Shah has more than 14 years of investment banking experience. 

Shah is originally from Manchester, England and graduated with bachelor’s degree with honors in economics from the University of Manchester. He is an active member of the Petroleum Equipment & Services Association (“PESA”), among the largest trade associations for the energy services and equipment industry, serving on its emerging leaders committee from 2015 to 2017 and on the advisory board since 2017. In 2018, Shah was named a 40 under 40 honoree by both the Houston Business Journal and Oil & Gas Investor.