Prakash R. Moparthi

Career path: Before joining NextEra, worked as an advisor, business development and M&A at Occidental Petroleum. Led financial analysis, valuation, structuring and business case development for JV to construct approximately $1 billion Bridgetex crude oil pipeline and many other M&A deals. Entered oil and gas industry as manager, M&A, for Baker Hughes. Began career as an electrical engineer with Western Design Center Inc.

Puzzle pieces: Career benefits from his diverse academic background and experience, which “enabled me to fully appreciate and understand different perspectives and views of cross-functional teams, consider all inputs to fully explore benefits and risks of a deal before closing.”

Outside the box: Overcame challenges posed during the $280 million acquisition of Arkoma Woodford assets; met slumping commodity prices and a dramatic valuation expectation by being resilient, creative and managing “short-term issues while keeping focus on long-term goals.”

Inspiration, innovation: Looks up to Steve Jobs for his “vision, resilience and love for simplicity. He was very focused on his future and career. He knew what he wanted and saw no reason why it couldn’t be done.”

Come together: Admires industry’s essential collaborative nature; “all functions, including engineering, ops, land, finance, marketing and legal play equally important and critical roles for a company to be successful, and this makes it very dynamic, challenging and fun place to work.”

Advice: When times are tough, urges young professionals to “stay the course, continue to do the hard work, strive for excellence and don’t get distracted by the noise. Tough and challenging situations create new opportunities.”