The Energists Strengthens Brookside Energy Leadership with Key CFO and Investor Relations Appointments
September 8, 2025 – The Energists is a boutique executive search firm focused on the energy sector. Its client list is diverse across the energy industry, geographies, and business scenarios. A boutique, high integrity firm established in 1979, The Energists operates exclusively within the energy industry. Its staff comprises accomplished industry professionals and leaders, each with their own area of expertise. With a reputation for identifying and recruiting high impact technical and leadership talent for notable organizations within the energy domain, the firm recently placed Shane Gray as CFO and Joel Burkhardt as investor relations analyst at Brookside Energy Limited in Tulsa, OK. These appointments, sourced through boutique industry recruiters The Energists, and its subsidiary Tall Trees Talent (Tall Trees), mark a deliberate step in Brookside’s plan to scale production, enhance capital efficiency, and elevate investor communication.
This month, The Energists’ Jon Hill checked in with David Prentice, managing director and CEO of Brookside Energy to see how things were going, and to glean a general market update.
“These are two outstanding additions to our U.S. team,” said Mr. Prentice. “Shane and Joel each bring a unique set of capabilities and energy to the business, and both have hit the ground running. It’s been excellent working with the teams at The Energists and Tall Trees to identify professionals who align so well with our culture and strategic direction.”
Reflecting on his original decision to join Brookside Mr. Gray noted: “I was drawn to Brookside by the strength of the assets and the clarity of the vision. But more than that, I saw a disciplined business that’s truly focused on capital efficiency and long‑term value creation. It’s exciting to be part of a team that executes well and backs it up with results.”
“Shane Gray brought extensive experience in the financial management of upstream oil and gas ventures,” Mr. Prentice said. “His leadership in refining the company’s capital allocation, enhancing financial reporting systems, and guiding the NYSE ADR listing process continues to deliver during Brookside’s pivotal growth phase.”
More recently, Mr. Burkhardt joined Brookside’s team in Tulsa as investor relations analyst, bringing a strong background in energy sector finance and strategic communications. Tasked with improving investor outreach, Mr. Burkhardt has significantly enhanced the data room across Brookside’s Form F‑1 filing process and is leading efforts on due diligence coordination.
“There’s a clear narrative here, disciplined growth, high‑quality acreage, and a real commitment to transparency,” said Mr. Burkhardt. “I’m excited to help tell that story more effectively and ensure our messaging resonates with both institutional and retail investors.”
Impact and Strategic Value
These two hires reflect Brookside’s continuing transition from development to scale. With nine horizontal wells already online in its SWISH Play, the company is shifting toward repeatable production results, disciplined capital deployment, and enhanced market presence.
Related: The Energists Fills Senior Business Development Role for GOWell International
“These hires were all about outcomes,” said Mr. Prentice. We didn’t just want titles; we wanted real people who could make an impact. Shane and Joel have done exactly that. It’s been a pleasure working with The Energists and Tall Trees to bring them onboard. Acquiring the right competencies was just one part, the team cohesion and alignment gives us great excitement as we head into our next evolutionary phase.”
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Mr. Hill is managing partner of The Energists. With 25 years of energy industry experience before moving to executive search in 2015 , he has partnered with a broad variety of publicly traded, governmental, privately owned, and fund backed clients. Mr. Hill has supported executive search clients in North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific and has deep expertise in upstream oil & gas, energy & utilities, banking, manufacturing, and transportation (including midstream).
New Service for the Energy Sector
The Energists recently launched Tall Trees Talent, a contingent recruitment service designed to address the evolving needs of the energy sector. The service was designed to exemplify The Energists’ commitment to offering comprehensive hiring solutions, complementing the firm’s executive search capabilities.
“Tall Trees Talent reflects our dedication to meeting the dynamic challenges of the energy sector,” said Mr. Hill. “This service enables us to offer scalable, customized recruitment solutions that seamlessly align with our executive search offerings, ensuring that our clients’ talent needs are met at every organizational level.”
Building on decades of expertise in the global energy sector, Tall Trees Talent is tailored to support organizations in identifying, evaluating and hiring senior professionals for pivotal roles below the executive level. With a shared back office, this new service leverages The Energists’ industry knowledge and network. “It was nice to get things off the ground with several new clients when we piloted in last December,” said Ken Nelson, senior consultant at Tall Trees Talent.” Since then, we have taken on mandates from existing Energists clients, for roles that would not have been supported before now.”
Related: The Energists Assists Covenant Testing Technologies with CFO Search
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
