Mr. Dennis has been a Principal, Managing Director, and Managing Partner of WoodRock& Co. since he founded the firm in April 1998. He is responsible for deal origination and selection, deal and project leadership, strategy, and business management. To date, Mr. Dennis has executed over $8 billion in transactions. Prior to WoodRock, he was a Vice President with Koch Industries, Inc. in their international and capital services groups. In these positions, he was responsible for Koch’s global merchant banking and M&A efforts. From early 1996 through June 1997, he served as Chief Financial Officer, and later as acting Chief Operating Officer, of Gas Services International, Limited (“GSI”), a contract compression and engineering services company with offices in Houston, Texas, and Singapore. Before GSI, he advised both American Breco Corporation and Aviation Sales Company (NYSE: AVS) in their merger, acquisition, divestiture, and financing activities. His prior investment banking experience includes Simmons & Company International and Goldman Sachs & Co. Prior private equity experience includes SCF Partners, L.P. and Breco Holdings, Inc. He holds an AB from Harvard College and an MBA from Rice University’s Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Management. Following college, he served as an officer in the United States Navy.
Principals
The team at WoodRock & Co. has professional experience in investment banking, corporate finance, trading, corporate development and private equity. Individually, our roles have included advisor, agent/arranger, principal, investor, and manager for domestic and international companies of all sizes in various stages of development.
John Dennis
Managing Partner
Mathew Verghese
Managing DirectorMathew Verghese is a Managing Director at WoodRock & Co. and focuses on the firm’s capital markets activities. Mathew started his career at Arthur Andersen and was admitted to the partnership. At Andersen, he was the CFO of its consulting division and managed its venture capital and corporate development teams. Mr. Verghese also worked at Lehman Brothers where he was an investment manager in the capital markets division focused on credit investments. He was also the EVP / Chief Operating Officer at energy service firm Global Geophysical.
Mr. Verghese serves as a trustee of the Star of Hope, the largest homeless mission in the Houston area. He also serves on the Dean’s advisory board for the College of Technology at the University of Houston. He received his BBA from the Bauer College of Business at the University of Houston.
Sandy Smith
Administration ssmith@woodrock.com 832-615-8254