
Robert McNally
Founder & President
Robert McNally is based in Washington, DC and has over 30 years of government and market experience as an international energy consultant, senior White House policy official, and hedge fund strategist. His expertise spans government, economic, security, and environmental sectors. He is the author of the award-winning and acclaimed book Crude Volatility: The History and the Future of Boom-Bust Oil Prices (Columbia University Press, 2017).
Robert has testified before Congress on energy markets and national security, published on energy in Foreign Affairs (co-authored with Michael Levi), and has been interviewed by CNN, The Economist, NPR, Financial Times, Washington Post, New York Times, PBS’ Great Decisions in Foreign Policy series, Bloomberg News, and other leading journals and programs. He is a non-resident fellow at the Columbia University Center on Global Energy Policy. From 2001 to 2003, he served as the top international and domestic energy advisor on the White House staff, holding the posts of Special Assistant to the President on the National Economic Council and, in 2003, Senior Director for International Energy on the National Security Council. He started his professional career as an oil market analyst and for 12 years analyzed energy markets, macroeconomic policy, and geopolitics for portfolio managers at Tudor Investment Corporation. Robert earned his B.A./B.S. in Political Science and International Relations from American University and his M.A. in International Economics and Foreign Policy from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).

Scott Modell
Chief Executive Officer
Scott Modell is based in Washington, DC and is a highly decorated Central Intelligence Agency officer who served in the Middle East, Central Asia, and Latin America. He is a non-resident fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and senior advisor to U.S. Special Operations Command.
Scott is a leading expert on Iran and the broader Middle East. As a former Central Intelligence Agency officer, he served for 13 years in the Directorate of Operations, with five tours conducting operations in Latin America, Western Europe, and the Middle East. He participated in post 9-11 operations in Afghanistan, serving on the battlefields in the southern and southeastern regions of the country as a member of paramilitary counter terrorism teams composed of CIA officers and local Afghan forces. At the Center for Strategic and International Studies, he focuses on security issues related to Iran and the Middle East; he also served as an advisor to U.S. Special Operations Command on Counter Threat Finance operations. Scott earned his B.A. in International Relations from UCLA and his M.A. in National Security Studies from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.

Sabine Leffler
Chief Operating Officer
Sabine Leffler is based in Washington, DC and brings extensive experience as an office manager for Tudor Investment Corporation - a leading global Hedge Fund - and as a program coordinator for the Friedrich Ebert Foundation.
Sabine managed Tudor Investment Corporation’s Washington office for ten years. Prior to that, she was a Program Coordinator for the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in Washington, DC, where she organized visitor programs for German officials with American think tanks and non-profit organizations. Sabine received her B.A. in Linguistics from the Université de Provence, Aix-en-Provence, France and her Masters in economic translation from the Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Germersheim, Germany.

Fernando Ferreira
Director, Geopolitical Risk Service
Fernando Ferreira is based in Washington, DC and covers global oil markets, with a focus on geopolitical supply risks. He oversees Rapidan Energy Group’s Barrels-at-Risk reporting, which analyzes and forecasts disrupted and threatened oil production on a country-level basis.
Fernando was instrumental in helping Rapidan Energy Group Founder Robert McNally research and write his 2017 book Crude Volatilty: The History and Future of Boom-Bust Oil Prices (Columbia University Press, 2017). Prior to joining the Rapidan Energy Group, Fernando worked as a research intern with the Energy and National Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, where he focused on oil markets and geopolitics. Originally from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Fernando earned his B.S. in Economics and his Masters in International Commerce & Policy from George Mason University.

Jay Goswami
VP, Business Development
Jay Goswami is based in the NYC metro area and focuses on business development across financial markets. Jay brings over 20 years of experience spanning investment solutions, energy market intelligence, data analytics, ESG research, and advisory.
He began his career at Bear Stearns before becoming a key business development executive for BNP Paribas. He subsequently led a strategic vertical at commodities intelligence and data provider, Argus Media, and served as a Director for Truvalue Labs, a successful ESG data analytics startup. Most recently Jay was a Managing Director at IQEQ, a leading investment solutions firm. Jay holds a dual B.A. from the University of Rochester in Economics and Psychology and an M.B.A. from Georgetown University in International Business. He is a former holder of the FINRA Series 7 & 63 licenses and recently earned his Certificate in ESG Investing from the CFA Society.

Hunter Kornfeind
Oil Market Analyst
Hunter Kornfeind is an Analyst within the Global Oil Service, primarily focusing on global oil markets and supply/demand dynamics. Prior to joining Rapidan Energy Group, Hunter interned with Eurasia Group, the Council on Foreign Relations, and the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center where he assisted in dissecting the intersection of energy, geopolitics, and macroeconomics.
A native of Pennsylvania, Hunter holds a B.B.A. in Finance and a B.A. in Political Science from Temple University.

GeFei Li
Director, China Advisory Service
GeFei Li leads Rapidan Energy Group’s China Advisory Service. His 30-plus year professional career includes oil and gas technology, research, and business posts spanning operational management, strategic investing, and regulatory advisory work in China and the US.
GeFei Li covers China’s energy market and the macroeconomy. He started his professional career as a research associate and lecturer at China’s National Oil Ministry. He has over 30 years of experience working with regulators, entrepreneurs, and major energy companies as a business executive, investor, and strategic advisor. As a former geophysics and engineering researcher who has accumulated decades of business experience on the ground, GeFei offers unique expertise in macroeconomic analysis, operations management, and investment negotiation.

Nell Lukosavich
Marketing Director
Nell Lukosavich is based in Houston, where she oversees Rapidan’s marketing efforts. She brings over 20 years of experience in global B2B marketing, digital communications, and content creation, focused on the energy and financial markets.
Prior to joining Rapidan, Nell held senior management roles in the oil and gas, AI software, institutional investment, and energy publishing industries, including serving as Senior Editor of World Oil magazine.

Christopher Malcomson
Energy Policy Analyst
Christopher Malcomson is based in Washington, DC, and covers state, federal, and international energy and transition policy and regulation. Christopher joined Rapidan from the Bipartisan Policy Center's Energy Team, where he researched and wrote about state and federal energy and climate policies affecting resource allocation and pricing.
Previously, Christopher interned in the White House's Office of National Drug Control Policy and for Senator Jon Tester (D-MT). Christopher holds a B.A. in Economics and Political Science from George Washington University.

Kevin McNally
Legal Counsel & Vice President of Business Operations
Kevin McNally serves as Rapidan’s Legal Counsel and Vice President of Business Operations.
Kevin advises senior management on various legal matters and oversees all legal risk management including all contractual matters and the company’s internal protocols for the proper handling of material non-public information. Kevin is based in Connecticut, received his law degree from Quinnipiac University School of Law and is a licensed attorney.
Christopher Meyerhoff
Chief Financial Officer
Christopher Meyerhoff is based in Washington, DC and has several decades’ experience strategizing, planning, and managing financial operations for top-tier energy consultancies. Prior to joining Rapidan Energy Group, Christopher served as CFO & Partner at Washington-based PFC Energy, where he managed the firm’s operations in 7 countries, including strategy and planning, financial reporting and compliance, client and legal matters, IT, IP, and human resources.
Previously, Chris was the Finance Director for Petroleum Intelligence Weekly, publisher of several leading industry publications, and an analyst providing short-term oil market forecasts and economic analysis. Chris also served as Research Economist in the U.S. Senate (Joint Economic Committee) and as an Economist for Wharton Econometric Forecasting Associates. He holds a B.A. in Economics from Georgetown University and an M.B.A. (Finance & Investments) from The George Washington University.

Alex Munton
Director, Global Gas Service
Alex Munton is based in Houston, where he oversees Rapidan’s LNG and global gas analysis. His expertise on North America LNG includes detailed project analysis, commercial strategy, policy, and the growing interconnectedness of North America and global gas markets. His global experience includes short and long-term forecasting of global supply and the LNG strategies of the industry's major players.
Prior to joining Rapidan, Alex was Principal Analyst, Americas LNG, at Wood Mackenzie, and before that, Senior Analyst, Middle East research, at Wood Mackenzie. He has worked with energy industry clients on a variety of consulting assignments supporting investment decisions and commercial negotiations. Alex is a graduate of the Australian National University (PhD International Relations) and London’s Metropolitan University (BA Business).

Yashna Nischal
Executive Assistant
Yashna is based in Washington, DC and oversees clerical and administrative duties at Rapidan Energy Group.
Prior to her current position, Yashna helped coordinate various programs for Indian officials at the Embassy of India in Washington, DC. Yashna received her Bachelors of Sciences from Indhira Gandhi University in New Delhi, India.

Phil Ovitt
VP, Business Development
Phil’s experience spans a leading global consulting firm, Fortune 500 energy companies, a boutique environmental investment manager, the halls of U.S. Congress, and several successful startups.
Phil began his career in Accenture’s energy practice, working on teams to advise oil supermajors. He later served as an energy and environment advisor in the United States Senate. Phil also led business development for EVgo, an electric car charging startup launched within NRG Energy (NYSE: NRG), and later launched the sales team for venture-backed telehealth startup, Iris, as employee #5.

Campbell Palfrey
Director and Managing Editor
Campbell Palfrey is based in Washington, DC and oversees review and publication of all Rapidan Energy Group reports. He brings extensive experience monitoring and analyzing supply/demand fundamentals, geopolitical risks, and policy developments that impact oil prices and investment decisions in the energy sector.
Prior to joining Rapidan Energy Group in 2009, Campbell was the Project Director for an international market research firm, where his team focused on identifying and analyzing consumer trends in the technology and telecommunication sectors. He earned his B.A. in Comparative Literature from Haverford College and his M.A. in International Economics and Energy, Resources & Environment at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).

Glenn Schwartz
Director, Energy Policy Service
Glenn Schwartz is based in Washington, DC and oversees Rapidan Energy Group’s Energy Policy Service. He is a Clean Air Act attorney and an expert on the energy sector implications of environmental regulation, law and policy.
Prior to joining Rapidan Energy Group, Glenn spent 6 years at PIRA Energy Group, where he served as the chief legal, political and regulatory risk analyst in the emissions and clean energy group. In his capacity as the group’s Director of Legal Analysis, he was tasked with tracking and interpreting major regulations and legislation impacting emissions and energy markets on the state, federal and international levels. In addition, Glenn served as the firm’s hydraulic fracturing policy expert, tracking litigation, regulation, and legislation on the federal, state, and local levels and analyzing impacts on production volumes and costs. Previously, as a practicing attorney, Glenn advised clients and stakeholders on a wide variety of environmental and regulatory issues involving the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and relevant state statutes. Glenn holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania and a J.D. from Temple University’s Beasley School of Law.

Clay Seigle
Director, Global Oil Service
Clay brings 23 years of experience in the energy industry with specific focus on oil market intelligence and trading strategy. He most recently served in senior management roles at Vortexa and Genscape. Previously, he was Energy Segment Lead at Maxar and served in several roles at IHS, including Director of its Global Oil advisory service. Prior to IHS, Clay was Senior Oil Market Analyst at Enron and an Analyst at the US Department of Energy.
Clay has lectured on energy security and geopolitical risk at events hosted by The Atlantic Council, KAPSARC, The Baker Institute, S&P Platts, Thomson Reuters, and Argus. His published works include “Mispricing the Russia Risk Factor” (Petroleum Economist, February 2022). Clay has been a guest on CNBC’s “Fast Money” and “Worldwide Exchange,” and on CNN’s “Newsroom,” and has been interviewed in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Houston Chronicle, Bloomberg, and Reuters. Clay earned his B.A. in Government from the University of Texas at Austin, and his M.A. in International Economics and Foreign Policy from The Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).

Annette Smith
Senior Oil Demand Analyst
Annette Smith is a Houston-based analyst in Rapidan’s Global Oil Service, focusing on forecasting crude oil demand and refined product balances. She brings 17 years’ experience analyzing oil supply-demand fundamentals and international trade flows.
Prior to joining Rapidan, Annette was the lead oil refining analyst at Rystad Energy, and previously served in roles at Refinitiv and at IHS (now S&P Global) where she produced crude and refined product outlooks for more than 200 countries and regions. Annette holds a Masters degree in International Business from the University of St. Thomas.

Sage Thomson
Commercial Advisor
Sage Thomson brings over 15 years of experience in the oil & gas and financial services sectors. He has served as a business development executive and commercial advisor, working with clients around the world, from oil majors and hedge funds to institutional banks, NOCs, and traders.
Sage began his energy and financial career with internships at Merrill Lynch and Halliburton (KBR). These experiences sparked his interest in the intersection of energy and finance, leading him to pursue a career in business development and commercial advisory roles for oil, gas, and financial services clients. Sage has also held positions as a Credit Manager at Wells Fargo and a Business Development executive at Energy Aspects, where he was responsible for North America sales. Sage is a Liberian-American, father, husband, and regular IMF Annual Meetings guest.