Bio

John Ellis is a Managing Director at ACT Capital Advisors. He has over 35 years of experience providing financial and strategic advisory services to individuals, entrepreneurs, corporations, governments and universities. Mr. Ellis has global experience in business development, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), sales and divestitures, project finance, debt financing, equity financing, IPO’s, private placements, refinancing, restructuring, business improvement, operations, joint ventures and strategic advisory. His industry expertise includes energy, construction, agribusiness (food, wine and beverage), mining, industrial and technology. Prior to joining ACT, he was Director of International Business Development for the Government of South Australia Trade & Investment. Mr. Ellis has also worked for Bank of America, US Bank, Daiwa Europe Strategic Advisors, Mitsubishi MUFG Union Bank, Westpac Bank, Exxon-Mobil, Chevron, BP, PetroVietnam, Kuwait Petroleum, Mitsui Chemicals and Canadian Fracmaster. He was founder and CEO of entrepreneurial start-ups Vista Oil and Del Mar Energy in Canada which he sold. He was also CFO of an entrepreneurial software technology company in California which was sold. He has lived and worked in the USA, Australia, Canada, UK and Vietnam and travelled extensively in 90 countries. Mr. Ellis graduated from the University of Tulsa with a BS in petroleum engineering followed by an MBA at the University of California at Berkeley as well as a Degree of Engineer (terminal professional degree as an alternative to a PhD) and MS in petroleum engineering at Stanford University. He was later elected by Stanford Associates for exceptional and sustained volunteer service to Stanford University (earned by 2 percent of Stanford alumni).