Leadership
Christian Kanady
Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Christian Kanady founded Echo in 2010 and serves as its CEO. Mr. Kanady oversees more than a billion dollars in assets under management. Since its founding, the company has acquired interest in over 3,000 unconventional and conventional wells across Oklahoma and Texas. Mr. Kanady has been in the energy business for over a decade and began his career at Chesapeake Energy. Mr. Kanady graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a BBA in Energy Management and Finance.
Brandon O’Gara
Chief Financial Officer
Mr. O’Gara’s efforts are focused on capital raises, investor relations, financial oversight, as well as oversight of asset valuations and transaction execution on all of Echo’s business lines. Prior to joining Echo, Mr. O’Gara was with Connecticut based Wexford Capital. While at Wexford, Mr. O’Gara worked closely with companies including Diamondback Energy and Viper Energy Partners (the first publicly traded pure play mineral company in the US, with an IPO value of $2bn). Mr. O’Gara holds a BS in Economics from the Wharton School at The University of Pennsylvania.
Tanner W. Hicks
General Counsel and Executive Vice President of Land and Legal
Mr. Hicks began serving as General Counsel and Vice President of Land and Legal in 2017. Prior to joining Echo, Mr. Hicks’ practice focused on oil and gas, complex and aggregate litigation, and appellate matters. Mr. Hicks holds a Juris Doctorate from the University of Oklahoma College of Law. During his time at the University of Oklahoma, Mr. Hicks served as Assistant Articles Editor for the Oklahoma Law Review. He was a recipient of Oklahoma University’s James F. Hawes Memorial Cup Award, and obtained admittance to the Order of the Coif.
Joshua Hood
Executive Vice President of Treasury and Accounting
Mr. Hood joined Echo in early 2014 and oversees Treasury and Accounting. Prior to Echo, Mr. Hood earned his Master in Business Administration with specialties in energy and finance from the University of Oklahoma’s Price College of Business. During his studies, he was selected for the Price Scholar exchange program at New York University’s Stern School of Business. While in New York, he also worked as an associate focusing on oil and natural gas fundamentals for Deutsche Bank’s Global Commodities Group.
Matt Palmer
Vice President of Finance and Corporate Development
Mr. Palmer joined Echo in 2014 and has held various roles within the finance department, currently serving as Vice President of Finance and Corporate Development. Mr. Palmer’s efforts are focused on evaluation of new opportunities, investor reporting, and internal FP&A. Prior to Echo, Mr. Palmer worked at Chesapeake Energy from 2010 to 2013. Mr. Palmer holds a BBA in Finance from Baylor University and a MBA from the University of Oklahoma.
George Denny
Vice President of Business Development
Mr. Denny joined Echo as Director of Business Development in September of 2015. Prior to that, he spent a total of 17 years at Chesapeake Energy where he started as a District Landman and then Senior Negotiator. In 2002, he helped found Chesapeake’s Business Development team where he built and managed a team of more than 35 employees. Mr. Denny was involved in land grabs in each of Chesapeake’s major shale plays including the Fayetteville, Haynesville, Barnett, Eagle Ford, Marcellus and Utica with over 2.5MM acres acquired.