Energy M&A Outlook Panel - Wells Fargo Building

Christopher Cottrell is a shareholder at Polsinelli PC with a focus on Energy M&A.

Before joining the firm, Chris honed his commercial skills at Hilcorp Energy Company and amassed considerable legal experience at a major global law firm. He has successfully led numerous significant transactions on behalf of public, private, and private equity-backed clients across an array of industries.

His unique blend of legal acumen, industry knowledge, and dedication to client service make Chris an invaluable asset to any team and a trusted advisor to the firm’s clients.

Seenu Akunuri is a Principal in PwC’s Deals practice in Houston, Texas and is a valuation expert.  As the leader for PwC’s US Energy, Utilities and Resources Deals practice, Seenu has built a solid reputation as the “go-to person” that can solve complex valuation issues around mergers, acquisitions, global tax restructuring, re-domiciliation of assets, divestitures and other domestic, global and cross-border transactions. 

Seenu has advised clients on significant transactions in all sectors of the energy and mining industries including, upstream, midstream, downstream and oil field services. Seenu’s experience includes valuations of assets including, oil and gas reserves, mines, precious minerals, acreage,  storage and pipeline assets, downstream assets, drilling rigs, subsea ROVs, platforms, oilfield equipment and services companies.

As one of PwC’s valuation specialists, Seenu has presented and published  thought leadership topics impacting the energy and mining industries. Seenu is a contributing author to the valuation chapter of Professional Development Institute and PwC’s Petroleum Accounting textbook. He also co-authored thought leadership articles on various valuation topics, most recently on valuation issues in upstream E&P companies under the current commodity price environment.

Seenu and his team fully understand the requirements of the IRS, SEC and PCAOB and have successfully supported their valuation work when reviewed by these regulatory agencies. 

Seenu was a director in Standard & Poor’s Corporate Value Consulting (“CVC”) before rejoining PwC in October 2005. Seenu is an Accredited Senior Appraiser and a member of the American Society of Appraisers.  Seenu holds an MBA with a concentration in Finance and Accounting from Tulane University.

Hunter Coates has carved an impressive path in the upstream energy sector, showcasing expertise in both conventional and unconventional development. 

Currently at the helm as the CEO of Drive Petroleum, a private equity-backed upstream firm with significant assets in Louisiana and Texas, Hunter's leadership has been paramount for multiple companies. His tenure at Hilcorp Energy Company saw him leading the Northeast U.S. Asset Team, along with crucial roles such as Senior Reservoir Engineer, Completions Engineer, and A&D Evaluations Engineer. Additionally, he played a pivotal role as the Gulf Coast A&D Manager for Breton Sound Resources.

A proud alumnus of Vanderbilt University with a B.S. in Geology and Louisiana State University with a B.S. in Petroleum Engineering, Hunter is recognized as a leading voice in asset-level A&D, mergers, acquisitions, and distressed upstream operations within the energy sector.

Sal is a member of the Global Natural Resources Group and the Mergers and Acquisitions Group in the Investment Banking Division. He relocated to Houston in 2013 where he serves as the sector captain for the Oilfield Services and Equipment sector in North America. Sal joined Goldman Sachs in 2006 as an analyst in the Global Natural Resources Group in New York and was named managing director in 2017. 

Sal earned a BS in Economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 2006. 

Quynhthy is a Business Development Manager at Repsol, based in The Woodlands, TX. She has over 20 years of experience working in the oil and gas industry spanning the whole value chain from upstream to downstream and across multiple plays both onshore and offshore. Quynhthy is currently focused on US Lower 48 acquisition and divestiture opportunities, specifically in Repsol’s core areas of the Eagle Ford and Marcellus shale.

Quynhthy started her career with ConocoPhillips in various engineering disciplines of increasing responsibilities with focus on midstream and upstream.  In 2011, she joined Oasis Petroleum where she held multiple positions from reservoir engineer to Lead for the Development, Corporate Reserves Reporting, and Asset Management Planning teams.  She then joined Energy XXI to manage reserves reporting before joining the Corporate and Investment Banking team at Bank of Montreal.  She continued her banking career at Bank of America where she evaluated reserves and performed risk analysis for the banks’ clients across nearly all domestic plays.

Quynhthy holds a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Business Administration from Indiana University Kelley School of Business.  She is a member of the Houston Producers Forum and the Society of Petroleum Engineers.