On Friday, April 28th Paul Johnson, a WSU alumnus, spoke to two College of Business classes, FIN 377: Investments and FIN 440: International Finance. Mr. Johnson is the Vice President for Investor Relations at Xcel Energy. Xcel Energy is a premier energy provider operating in Minnesota and Wisconsin as well as other Midwestern and Southwestern states with a market capitalization of over $22 billion dollars and over 11,000 employees.
In his presentation, Mr. Johnson described Xcel Energy as well as his role as Vice President for Investor Relations. He views his job as part finance, part accounting and part marketing. He is Xcel Energy’s primary spokesperson to the investment community managing the firm’s relationships with equity investors, fixed income and credit rating agencies. This can especially critical when a company needs to access the capital markets for debt or equity. Done effectively, Investor Relations can have a positive impact on a company’s relative valuation and cost of capital. In a year, Mr. Johnson will attend over 200 meetings with about 300 institutional investors.
As senior financial executive, Mr. Johnson interviews candidates for positions in finance, and he shared his thought on career advancement with students. Besides academic qualifications, he emphasized the role of passion and drive, the ability to take the initiative, people skills, and the importance of being a team player within an organization. He also gave students practical advice on constructing resumes, developing interview skills, and having a long-term life/work balance.
Larry Schrenk, PhD Assistant Professor Finance Department lschrenk@winona.edu