Brian Hansen

Today, Hansen is a principal at Vortus Investments, a private-equity firm focused on lower-to- middle-market deals across the U.S. Vortus earmarks $50 million to $75 million per deal, he says, and sets itself apart from competitors by having an “asset in hand” rule.

Mentor: Hansen counts Scott Sheffield, former CEO of Pioneer Natural Resources Co.—where he worked from 2004 to 2014 before Vortus—as a role model. “[Sheffield] has been a big influence on my career. … He always advised against using leverage to drive returns and followed that advice through the renaissance of the Permian, focusing on the reservoir’s economic return instead of its debt capacity.”

Steady: “Low-cost assets provide a great advantage, but you still have to plan and prepare for a commodity price collapse to survive long enough to be around when prices recover.”

Advice for young professionals: “Oil and gas is a big business in a small world. You never know who you’ll run into again, so don’t be exclusive, and build strong relationships early.”