Leadership Q&A: High-Octane Finance

Janet F. Clark, senior vice president and CFO of Marathon Oil Corp., cut her teeth on Wall Street before forging a career in the rough-and-tumble energy sector. In March, she talked with Business Finance editor John Cummings about those experiences.

John Cummings: You've followed an unusual career path for a finance leader, starting out as an investment banker. How has that early experience helped you?

Janet F. Clark: I think it's really invaluable at a number of different levels. Obviously it gave me a good understanding of the capital markets and some of the more complex financing alternatives. But perhaps as important, because of the way investment banks operate -- they're very flat in terms of structure -- I had the opportunity from the beginning of my career to work with very senior bankers. So I got to see different leadership styles and recognized that there are a number of ways that one can be successful, and you didn't have to copy a single person. I could figure out what style felt the most comfortable and see which worked best for myself. And I think that's very valuable.

The other thing that was extremely useful is that, as a generalist, I got to see a lot of different industries. You get a pretty good understanding of how business operates by looking at how different industries go about making investment decisions and financing decisions, as opposed to being in a single industry your entire career.