Ten questions
The ones he is asked most, answered briefly and in his own words.
- Who is Danny Topperberg?
- I’m a private investor and the Chairman of Voxen Energy. I’ve spent about twenty years working across property, resources and cross-border capital.
- What is Voxen Energy?
- A private investment company focused on pipeline gas, LNG and the infrastructure that moves them.
- What does the Chairman do?
- I lead the board and set how we look at deals: what we’ll consider, what we won’t, and what has to be true before we commit.
- How did you start?
- My first serious deals were mineral off-take agreements during Australia’s mining boom, negotiated with Chinese state-owned enterprises. That’s where I learned that the contract matters more than the asset.
- What kind of deals do you do?
- Ones where the commercial structure is as sound as the engineering. Firm supply, a buyer who can pay, workable terms with the state, and a realistic path to financing.
- What do most people get wrong about deals?
- They think the price is the hard part. It’s the easiest thing in the document, and almost never the thing that decides whether you make money.
- What do you look for in a counterparty?
- Whether they do what they said they’d do, especially on small things. People who are slow with small commitments are slower with big ones.
- Do you invest outside energy?
- Yes. My private investments outside energy include hotels and property.
- Where are you based?
- Sydney and Hong Kong, and on the road a good deal of the time.
- How do I get in touch?
- danny@topperberg.com