Chris has been an active participant of venture capital projects for the last ten years. Prior to starting Stonechair Capital Corp, he was the Head of Capital Markets and Senior Investment Banker at a resource focused boutique bank and the VP of International Opportunities at a national firm. His experience with public and private companies has seen him finance projects throughout Africa, Europe, South and North America and Australia. Stonechair Capital is a corporate finance advising firm specializing in the development of energy and resource companies. Our operations are based in Calgary, Alberta and we represent public and private companies throughout Canada, the United States and Europe. For more information and how to contact Chris directly, please visit: www.stonechaircapital.com
Ross Stewart Campbell (RSC) from The Oil Council: Chris, many thanks for joining us to share your thoughts on today’s markets. Some of our readers might not be familiar with Stonechair Capital Corp. Can you quickly introduce your company?
Chris McLean (CM) from Stonechair Capital Corp: Stonechair Capital is an advisory firm that tries to align its interests with that of its clients. After 10 years in capital markets we saw a need for a company to bridge the gap
between investment banks and private equity. Lately deal volume has outpaced the need for deal quality in our equity markets, something has been lost.
RSC: Let’s start with the wider Canadian markets Chris. Last year we saw a record number of oil and gas related financings take place and comparative to other international markets Canada has proven to be exceptionally robust. What’s your take on this dynamic and why are your markets have held up so well?
CM: I truly believe that the Canadian markets are the best place in the world to list public exploration companies. Our regulation is so front-end heavy [compared to other international markets] that only companies with viable chances are listed. In "lean times? our investment community has shown that it can direct capital into our markets and into companies they trust. The reporting processes of Canadian E&P companies and our regulatory framework have allowed that capital to be raised even in the markets? darkest hours.
RSC: Looking at recent investor and financier sentiment in Canada what trends have you noticed regarding the types of company and projects that are getting most interest and most backing? Is it across the oil and gas spectrum, or, for…
