Chris Pernoud

About Chris Pernoud

I am a senior executive leader with 20 years of experience driving digital transformation, financial engineering, and P&L growth across investment banking, energy, and trading. I specialize in bridging the gap between technical innovation and fiduciary oversight, with a proven track record of generating over $1B in profit through the strategic deployment of quantitative models and advanced analytics.My current mandate at Priority Power has evolved to include acting as a strategic advisor to the C-suite on the deployment of Agentic AI and Large Language Model (LLM) architectures. I have led enterprise-wide AI literacy presentations to ensure ethical implementation and mitigate risk as we transform core business processes and client solutions.Throughout my career, I have served as a \"Profit Catalyst,\" overseeing a $15B global portfolio with a consistent focus on capital efficiency and risk-adjusted return. Notable achievements include capturing $260M+ in annual profit by delivering an enterprise-wide digital strategy at Phillips 66 and generating $250M in profit over four years managing a global commodity index book at Bank of America/Merrill Lynch.As a \"Risk Guardian\" and certified Financial Risk Manager (FRM), I offer a unique perspective on the intersection of frontier technology and institutional safety. I have deep expertise in building Value at Risk (VaR) systems and calibrated Monte Carlo forward-pricing simulation models. My core value lies in translating complex technical modeling into actionable strategic insights for board committees and executive leadership.Interested in confidential discussions regarding board appointments or advisory roles where AI governance, financial engineering, transformation, and risk optimization intersect.

Experience

1. Managing Director, Head of Quantitative Strategies and Optimization Platform

   Priority Power

   Jan 2023 — Present · The Woodlands, TX, US

   Advised C-suite on the strategic integration of Agentic AI and LLM frameworks, focusing on balancing rapid innovation with institutional risk governance. Spearheaded organization-wide innovation in AI, leading the adoption of large language models (LLMs), AI agent swarms, and copilot technologies to transform business processes and client solutions.Drove the development of a technology-driven energy optimization platform, enhancing client profitability (bitcoin miners and data centers) and risk management.Highlights:Directed business development and partnered with senior leadership to advance organizational objectives and digital transformation.Integrated AI/ML best practices into business processes and analytics, strengthening data-driven decision-making.Engineered optimization models for cryptocurrency breakeven, ancillary revenue, and hedging strategies.Built quantitative frameworks to evaluate power purchase strategies and optimize economic deployment.Developed pricing tools integrating forward curves, delivery costs, and ancillary service economics.

Education

• Rice Business

  Master of Business Administration - MBA

• Cornell University

  Bachelor of Engineering - BE, Optimization and Industrial Engineering

• Rice Business

  Master of Business Administration - MBA, Finance and Entrepreneurship

  2002

• Cornell University

  BS Operations Research and Industrial Engineering, Engineering and Computer Science

  1994 — 1998

Skills

• Equity Futures
• Electronic Trading
• Cbot
• Natural Gas
• Financial Modeling
• Nymex
• Structured Products
• Financial Risk
• Physical Asset Management
• Microsoft Office
• Erlang
• Valuation Modeling
• Swaps
• Supply Chain Optimization
• Gasoline
• Fixed Income
• Options
• Numpy
• Management
• Crude
• Fx Options
• Cqg
• R
• Web Application Design
• Proprietary Trading
• Contract Negotiation
• Contract Management
• Matlab
• Portfolio Optimization
• Structured Notes
• Python
• Commodity Markets
• Derivatives
• Risk Management
• Reuters
• Gsci
• Sql Server
• Equities
• Trading
• Artificial Neural Networks