Alvarez & Marsal (A&M) announced the appointment of Houston-based energy industry consultant Venkat Krishnan as Senior Director in the firm’s U.S. Energy group. Mr. Krishnan’s hire underscores the strategic expansion of the firm’s energy practice as clients seek energy transition expertise to navigate momentous market change and sector volatility.

Prior to joining A&M, Mr. Krishnan spent 14 years with ExxonMobil, where he most recently served as a business advisor in the company’s Upstream Commercial team, responsible for vetting strategy and leading valuations for complex and niche deals. His experience includes the divestiture of a multi-billion-dollar Upstream business unit, acquisition of a commodities trading firm and investments in the Permian and Bakken midstream.

In addition, Mr. Krishnan brings more than 15 years of experience in the R&D space, where he most recently led a strategic effort to establish the value of a multi-billion-dollar R&D portfolio. He also has essential liquified natural gas (LNG) and power market value chains experience. Notably, Mr. Krishnan oversaw the development of strategic LNG pricing for multiple business opportunities and the development of strategic estimates for levelized cost of electricity across a wide range of power market investments.

Mr. Krishnan’s joining bolsters the firm’s ability to solve for complex industry challenges with experienced boots-on-the ground practitioners. He follows on the recent energy sector appointments of Managing Directors Julie McLaughlin, Francois Bardi and John Corrigan, along with Senior Director Trish Collins.
Lee Maginniss, Managing Director and A&M lead for the U.S. Energy group, noted that the firm is “rapidly expanding our Energy practice as clients wrestle with how to address new business priorities and create performance drivers that maximize value in the global energy industry and its emerging new energy ventures.”

Mr. Maginniss added, “This scenario demands that we have senior leaders with deep industry experience in legacy oil and gas enterprises who can help maximize value and drive change for clients. Venkat’s appointment exemplifies our cross-industry and globally integrated approach and aligns with our operational heritage.”

Mr. Krishnan has authored more than a dozen research publications and holds two U.S. patents. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Bombay, an MS/PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell University and an MBA from Wharton.