Our Approach
Robert Hanger
Founder and Managing Partner
Robert started Masthead Financial & Capital Advisors because he saw a need for a Southern California financial advisory firm that catered to lower middle market businesses involved in transitions and transactions that took them outside of their usual business scope. Areas such as M&A activities, business acquisition & exit strategies, strategic financial planning, and capitalization assessment and optimization strategies.
With over 20 years in finance, he has worked with over 80 businesses and their owners through various strategies and driven the deployment of more than $750 million in capital solutions. He has closed over 40 M&A transactions, with deal value in excess of $1B.
Prior to starting Masthead Financial & Capital Advisors, he was Managing Director of the Corporate Finance Division at Opus Bank providing comprehensive financing solutions for our clients. His focus was on providing capital for buyout/acquisitions, expansion of successful businesses and recapitalizations for both strategic and private equity backed businesses. Prior to Opus Bank, he was Managing Director with Linked Consulting Group, LCG Argyros partnering with Chapman University to help lower middle market businesses navigate the Great Recession as a valued financial advisor. He's also held positions at California Bank & Trust and Northern Trust. Prior to his banking career, he was a Tax Accountant at a local CPA firm in Southern California.
He likes to be involved in local financial community and actively serves as the President and Board Member for the Association for Corporate Growth, Orange County. He was previously their Vice President, Events Chair and Young Professionals Chair. He is also involved with their Strategic Planning, Executive, Young Professionals, and Sponsorship Committee’s. He was an active member for 7 years on the Board for Chapman University Business School Alumni Association, he serve as their Corporate Career and Industry Engagement Director.
He received his BS in Finance and Business Law from California Sate University, Long Beach, a Certificate in Financial Planning from the University of California, Los Angeles, and M.B.A. from Chapman University.
Rob Shishino
Managing Director
Rob has over thirty five years of senior finance and administration management experience leading private manufacturing, distribution, service, and venture capital companies, including experience leading human resources, payroll, risk management and information technology. Rob has helped manage fast growth companies, as well as led companies through recessions and reorganizations, acquisitions, and sales, including orchestrating the sale of a partner owned company to a private equity sponsor, who retained him as CFO, and grew the company through six subsequent acquisitions.
Rob has developed strategic and cost improvement objectives and initiatives. He has teamed with Sales and Marketing leaders to build economic support to successfully commercialize new products, managed new product development projects with R&D leaders, providing financial models for project go/no go decisions and collaborated to minimize project costs. To better manage inventories, working with operations management, he developed cost accounting and inventory management systems.
Rob has a Bachelor of Science degree from UCLA and an MBA from CSULA. CPA Certificate No. 45333E (California - expired).
Loren Miner
Managing Director
Loren Miner is a Managing Director of Masthead Financial & Capital Advisors and has almost forty years of senior finance and administration management experience, leading both private and public healthcare, professional services, and entertainment companies in both CFO and COO roles. Loren
brings a wealth of both operational and financial strategy and a passion for building top-performing teams and systems to drive growth.
In Loren’s financial executive roles, she was a key member of the deal team for a company’s initial public offering and the later sale of that same public company. She also served as the lead participant on the deal team for the successful strategic sale of a private company. This included assembling the deal team and operating as the principal liaison, coordinator, and negotiator in the transaction.
As COO, Loren has provided critical and strategic thinking to her CEO partners, helping to create an organizational vision and execute strategic plans to accomplish those goals. She has successfully revamped both operational and financial systems, working with cross-functional teams to evaluate and receive input. She has analyzed and improved process workflows and worked with management teams to build and/or improve organizational structure.
Loren has a BA degree from UCSB and her CPA certificate.
Palmer Thornton
Director
Palmer Thornton is a Director of Masthead Financial & Capital Advisors where he builds and manages relationships with private capital investors and leverages this network to fulfill client’s merger, acquisition, and corporate growth objectives. Additionally, he assists the team with M&A activities, business exit strategies, strategic financial planning, operational efficiency consulting, capitalization assessment and optimization strategies.
Previously, Palmer worked at Excelsior Capital Partners, where he managed business development for the firm, and served as consultant to many of the firm’s portfolio holdings in various roles including financial planning, accounting, operational efficiency, supply chain, logistics, sales and marketing. His previous experience includes: originating investment opportunities, small business banking with Wells Fargo and JP Morgan Chase, serving as a board member for CreaMiser, Inc.
Palmer holds BA's in Business, and Psychology from Loyola Marymount University.
Varun Jain
Director / Team Lead
Varun is the head of Masthead's Analyst & Marketing Team which includes 8 exceptionally skilled members. His team supports Masthead and its clients by providing financial analysis, accounting, reporting, marketing, and lead generation activities. Varun & his team are in integral part of Masthead Financial & Capital Advisors.
Varun previously worked at Ernst & Young (EY) as part of the global M&A Team. He and his team were brought into Masthead to expand capabilities and streamline process flow for clients.
He holds a CFA designation, Master’s in Financial Analysis (MFA) from ICFAI and a Master of Commerce (M. Com) from H.P. University.
Puneet Nanda
Vice President Operations
Puneet is the head of Masthead’s Operations Team; wherein he leads FP&A services, like Financial Modelling and Valuations. He is responsible for checking the feasibility of achieving the business plan and forecast based on the current market situation and the company’s key performance indicators. He possesses exposure to analyzing financial models and external data of the target company to provide comprehensive insight into the valuation of the company.
Puneet has over 15 years of extensive experience in Financial Planning and Analysis, MIS Reporting, Business Partnership, Stakeholder Management, Budgeting, Transfer Pricing, and Working Capital Management.
He had previously worked at Ernst & Young (EY). He is a Chartered Accountant from ICAI and holds a Bachelor's Degree in Law from CCS University and a Bachelor's Degree of Commerce (B. Com Hons) from Delhi University.
Our Story
Questions?
Contact us to learn more about our services.