BIOGRAPHY
Dwayne Coben, the principal of Coben Advisory, has over 30 years business experience in Canada, United States, United Kingdom and Australia across a broad range of industries and sectors. Dwayne has held CFO and executive merger & acquisition positions in both public and private companies, including executive positions for Berkshire Hathaway companies in the United States.
In 2002, Dwayne founded Coben Advisory to offer clients advisory services in disciplines that he acquired considerable expertise such as strategy development, financial evaluation and mergers & acquisitions. Dwayne was CFO and part-owner of a private alternate fuels technology company in Calgary from September 2000 to early 2002. Prior to moving to Calgary, he was Senior Vice President and CFO of HomeServices of America, Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway company based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Dwayne led the company through a successful US$49 million initial public offering in 1999. Dwayne was also responsible for the acquisition strategy for HomeServices, growing the company from start-up and its first acquisition in 1998 to the second largest full-service independent residential real estate brokerage company in the United States through the completion and integration of several acquisition and merger transactions.
Prior to this, from 1997 through 1999 Dwayne was Vice President Corporate Development of MidAmerican Energy Company, an electric and gas utility in the US Midwest with annual revenues in excess of US$4.5 billion, where he was responsible for mergers and acquisition activities. MidAmerican is a Berkshire Hathaway company based in Des Moines, Iowa. MidAmerican completed the fourth largest utility merger (US$6 billion) in the United States in 1999 with its merger with CalEnergy. Dwayne led the due diligence team for MidAmerican, including the evaluation of synergies and other merger benefits and costs. Amongst several other acquisitions and divestitures, he managed the spin-off of HomeServices from MidAmerican’s non-regulated investments.
From 1990 to 1997, Dwayne held various business development and customer services senior management positions at BC Hydro, an electric utility based in Vancouver, BC, with annual revenues of $4 billion. As part of his business development role, Dwayne was responsible for development and structuring of strategic alliances and partnerships in a key BC Hydro initiative to increase shareholder value by leveraging its core assets through public and private sector arrangements. Previously, Dwayne was a partner in a venture capital firm in Vancouver from 1987 to 1989, and worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers in Vancouver, BC and London, UK from 1981 to 1986.
Dwayne is a Chartered Professional Accountant (Chartered Accountant), a Certified Management Consultant and holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting Major) from the University of Saskatchewan.
The table below represents a sample of companies and assignments Dwayne has been personally involved with. Key sectors or areas of focus for Dwayne include services, renewable energy, utilities, First Nations, technology, food, agribusiness and manufacturing.
