John Chapman
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John Chapman began his career in restructuring investment banking, where he handled—among other assignments—casino restructurings during the 2008-2009 financial crisis. “It was quite the learning curve for me as a first-year analyst,” Chapman said. “That said, I loved it.” The challenges and complexity of oil and gas companies later drew him toward the industry.
What qualities do you think are necessary to be a good leader in the oil and gas industry?
Starting my career in restructuring taught me to evaluate imperfect information and make judgments under a high degree of uncertainty—skills that are applicable in the oil and gas industry. Working on restructurings also further developed my sense of empathy. You manage multiple constituencies with their own fears, goals and points of leverage, and people don’t always behave their best in those situations. Learning to cut through posturing and understand the perspectives of different people and groups has been helpful as a leader and an adviser.
How have you exercised leadership to help shape your department and/or company?
Collaboration is a core value at TPH&Co and something I’ve worked hard to build upon. Our infrastructure group is constantly partnering with upstream colleagues and the integrated subsurface team, and their perspectives on our infrastructure clients’ upstream customers and subsurface dynamics are crucial. I’ve also helped build partnerships across our broader platform at Perella Weinberg, both with our restructuring colleagues and with our chemicals group on chemicals infrastructure transactions.
What professional and/or personal advice would you give other young professionals in the industry?
- Always think about your clients—e.g., what they are worried about and how you can help.
- If a colleague or client should be doing something differently, build trust and ensure you have the courage to tell them the truth.
- Never stop learning—our industry is changing too quickly for any of us to be complacent, and that should be the fun part, in any event.
Which of your professional achievements are you most proud of?
There are two categories that stand out for me. The first is the opportunity to advise the same client a second time because knowing that we have earned their trust and appreciation is incredibly rewarding. The second is being able to work with family- and founder-owned businesses. The heightened pressure and importance of the outcome to our clients, and the level of personal interaction and trust required, makes these situations among the most demanding but also the most satisfying.
What keeps you motivated and passionate about working in the oil and gas industry?
Every day, I’m motivated by the incredible dynamism in the oil and gas industry, the challenges that we face and the people that rise to meet them. Over my 11 years in the energy industry, I have seen our industry survive and thrive in spite of recessions, price wars and waves of restructurings, in large part due to the creativity, determination and generosity of the people that make up our industry, and I’m honored to be a part of it.
Take a look at the rest of the Forty Under 40 2024 winners.
