Who We Are

Northbase is a specialty finance company that acts as a strategic partner to Compass Energy Systems. 

We leverage capital from financing partners to provide clients with unique, flexible capital solutions for essential
operating assets.

Northbase consists of highly-skilled and experienced oil and gas experts, investment professionals, and gas compression  and processing specialists. We understand the challenging capital framework companies in these industries work within, and we’re aware that these constrained capital environments limit the ability for companies to pursue high returning investment opportunities. With Northbase, capital is available for essential operating assets.

Meet Dean Willner,

President & Chief Executive Officer

Dean Willner is the President and Chief Executive Officer and Chair of the Investment Committee of Northbase.

Mr. Willner is responsible for the strategy, oversight and growth execution of all Northbase business and operating units. Mr. Willner has more than 15 years of senior management experience in the finance industry. For the last 10 years, he was a Managing Director, Investment Banking at Stifel FirstEnergy and sat on the firm’s management committee. He was responsible for all aspects of corporate finance origination and execution including mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, reorganizations and restructurings, as well as both private and public equity and debt financings, completing over $15 billion of transactions. Prior to Stifel FirstEnergy, Dean held a similar position at another energy-focused, independent, investment bank.

Mr. Willner received an MBA from the University of Alberta with a specialization in Natural Resources & Energy, a Bachelor’s Degree, Commerce from McMaster University and holds the Partners, Directors and Officers accreditation.

Meet Eva Kiefer,

Chief Financial Officer

Eva Kiefer is the Chief Financial Officer of Northbase.

Ms. Kiefer is responsible for the financial management and strategy of Northbase, and leads financial, treasury, accounting, and risk management aspects of the business. She is a financially responsible strategic executive with a sound understanding of financial, business and operational objectives. She has over 15 years of experience in financial services and energy industries and has helped scale multiple businesses from infancy to $500M+ valuation. Most recently, Ms Kiefer co-founded Akira Impact, an essential assets investment firm and was instrumental in the creation of a renewable natural gas developer and operator with a ~$3B project pipeline. Prior to this, she served as CFO of an oil & gas production company, leading growth from start-up to a go-public transaction at a ~$1Bl valuation. Prior to this, she served as CFO of a ~$1Bln energy investment firm.

Ms Kiefer is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA), holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree (with Distinction) from the University of Calgary, and has completed the PDO accreditation. Eva serves on the Board of Governors for the University of Calgary, including Vice Chair of Investment Committee.

 

Meet Nick Heffernan,

Executive Vice President, Corporate Development

Nick Heffernan is the EVP, Corporate Development of Northbase and sits on the Investment Committee.

Mr. Heffernan has more than 12 years of infrastructure focused M&A, market research, and capital markets experience. For the past 3 1/2 years, he led the Corporate Development group at Steel Reef Infrastructure Corp., a private, Canadian-based midstream growth company. He was responsible for mergers and acquisitions as well as developing fundamental and market research. During his tenure in this capacity, the Corporate Development group was instrumental in achieving the company’s growth objectives, expanding its asset base, and increasing earnings by successfully closing multiple strategic transactions and ultimately deploying more than $700 million in capital. Mr. Heffernan’s experience also includes 7 years of capital markets, sell-side equity research experience at an energy-focused, independent investment bank as well as a global Canadian bank.

Mr. Heffernan holds a Bachelor’s Degree, Commerce (Finance) from the University of Alberta.

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