Pickering Energy Partners continued its expansion into energy transition and ESG consulting with new hires, the Houston-based energy financial services firm said in recent news release.

“Our goal is to continue to invest in our team, grow our offerings, and remain the leader in energy investment and advisory services,” Dan Pickering, chief investment officer and founder of Pickering Energy Partners, said in a statement on May 10.

Pickering Energy Partners is an asset management and consulting firm specializing in energy investments. Last year, the firm announced the formal launch of its consulting practice and, in March, it said it had furthered its platform into energy transition and ESG across the upstream natural resource space through a merger with investment firm SailingStone Capital Partners LLC.

In his statement, Pickering said the firm’s recent hires—Dan Romito as a consulting partner, Rachel Racz as a director in business development and Ismail Hammami also as a consulting partner specifically for oil and gas—will help drive its efforts.

“Dan, Rachel and Ismail’s combined experience will be invaluable as we continue to help our clients navigate the energy landscape, regardless of which direction it’s going,” Pickering added.

Together, Romito, Racz and Hammami bring a combined 30+ years of expertise to Pickering Energy Partners’ consulting, ESG and energy transition business, according to the firm’s release.

Click here for an exclusive interview with Dan Pickering about the firm’s merger with SailingStone Capital Partners and the growing focus on ESG.

PATH FORWARD: Dan Pickering Talks Pickering Energy Partners Merger, ESG Focus

Romito joins the Pickering Energy Partners team, from his most recent role leading NASDAQ’s Corporate Advisory business. He is also a “sought-after” expert and speaker on ESG issues, the firm said.

While at NASDAQ, Romito launched the investor behavioral analytics platform, the ESG Advisory Service, and the Small Cap Targeting Service. Most notably, he built the company’s ESG program from the ground up and advised numerous global clients on optimizing and implementing ESG initiatives. He has shared his experience and research on panels across North America, Europe and Asia, and has been published in Harvard Business Review, CNBC and Bloomberg.

Racz is also well-regarded in the energy sector and a leading expert on ESG. Most recently, she served as executive director at the Energy ESG Council, where she helped launch the non-profit and led partnership efforts between the Council and industry leaders and built a simplified industry-focused sustainability reporting and measurement framework.

Before her time at the Energy ESG Council, Racz spent five years at NASDAQ as managing director and head of energy listings, client retention and new business development where she managed exchange partnerships, established the sector strategy for the NASDAQ and launched the Energy Solutions team.

Both Romito and Racz will lend their extensive expertise to support Pickering Energy Partners’ expanding business capabilities in ESG and the energy transition.

At Pickering Energy Partners, Racz will be responsible for fostering client relationships for the firm’s consulting business and the recently announced electric vehicle infrastructure company, MERGE Electric Fleet Solutions. As for Romito, he will lead the consulting team and focus on developing business with clients in relation to energy ESG consulting projects. 

Meanwhile, Hammami’s addition to the Pickering Energy Partners team will focus on leveraging over 15 years of experience in investment banking and consulting across the energy value chain in oil and gas.

In his most recent role as consulting vice president at Wood Mackenzie, Hammami led midstream and downstream consulting engagements for America’s consulting practice, along with advising pipeline, terminal, midstream and refinery studies. Before his position at Wood Mackenzie, he was with Deutsche Bank on the energy investment banking team. It was in this role that he worked closely with the Wood Mackenzie team as a buy-side and sell-side adviser plus left lead on several multibillion-dollar engagements.