| Aneesh Prabhu Nicholas 2001 |
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| Standard & Poor's Credit Markets |
Briefly describe your current position with Standard & Poor's and the process of interviewing and accepting a position with S&P.
I've been with S&P since 2001. I'm part of the Utilities, Energy and Project finance practice. For the most part, this group rates energy companies (independent power producers, integrated utilities, oil majors, gas and produce pipelines, transmission & distribution companies) and project finance transactions in North America.
I knew I wanted to work on the East Coast, preferably in New York, and decided that the best way would be to secure a summer internship. The interview process with S&P (and other companies on the East Coast) was rigorous. I practically became a foot soldier on Wall Street, taking every opportunity to travel to New York, eight times between October 1999 and February 2000, and met people for informational interviews. Often, Badger alums helped me to get a toehold in meeting someone from their company.
For every one company I met, about 15 companies turned me away. It's not easy trying to convince someone that you're the one. I think it was my tenacity (insolence?) that impressed the recruiting director at S&P to interview me.
While getting through the door for the first round is difficult, once in, you do have to deliver the goods. I had a credit background in my job back in India, which helped in getting through the first round. The final round was a day long interview with about seven business heads. I was told later that three of the managing directors who interviewed me tested me for analytical skills; while the other two evaluated my communication skills (the job requires extensive publishing). The remaining two were just out for a free lunch!!
During the three months in the summer internship program I did well enough with S&P to be offered a full-time offer by the end of the summer. That changed the interviewing power dynamics in the second year. My job interviews in the second year were selective. While I managed other full-time offers, in the end, S&P appealed to me the most.
What was the most valuable aspect of the Nicholas experience in regards to your current position and your future ambitions?
I had the S&P job before starting in the Nicholas Center. I briefly contemplated accelerating the masters and graduating in December, but decided to stay back mostly because Jim Seward was the instructor for the Nicholas Center's consulting projects. To my surprise, I learned more about team work and interpersonal issues. I wouldn't call our team dysfunctional, but we definitely had people with attitude in our five-member group. There were instances where the group had difficult conversations and conflicts. Looking back, I realize there was great value in it all. I'll tell you what I learned. I learned to respect others, both professionally and personally. You'll find that's more important than anything else.
What has been your most significant professional achievement to date?
That's easy. That was when the Wall Street Journal and Financial Times called because they wanted to speak to an expert on energy commodity prices. It took me 30 seconds to realize they had identified me as one of the experts they were looking for. Sounds minor? Well, it was absolutely exquisite when my elder sister called to say "Dumbo, you're on Financial Times". YOU?!! HOW?! Yeah, sweet...!!
What career advice would you give to current Nicholas students?
First, identify what you're interested in early on and align yourself to that career. You should know that interviewing simultaneously for a sell-side position and a buy-side job is called "hedging your bets" and probably a bad idea.
Second, be confident (or appear confident even if you don't feel so). Adopt the philosophy of a duck...remain calm and composed on the outside while kicking furiously under water.
Third, if the going is smooth, you're probably going downhill.
What was your most memorable experience during your Nicholas career?
My most memorable moment of Nicholas was the presentation made to Jane Homan and the logenetics team in January 2001. Jane had also invited other Board members at logenetics for the presentation. One of them was an elderly gentleman, Jim Blakely.
The project was about livestock genetics. For my part of the presentation, I spoke at length about the developments in gene transfer technology and the potential for venture capital in the area. After I finished my exposition, Jim Blakely complimented me on my knowledge of the subject and asked us where we had done most of our research for the project. We informed him that much of our research was compiled from Burrill & Co, whose founder, Steve Burrill, is a well-known investor and venture capitalist in the biotech sector.
Jim Blakely paused, then quietly commented, "Yes, Steve was always one of my brighter students." Later that day, Professor Seward informed me that I had tried to teach the basics of biotechnology to Professor Blakely, who'd taught that subject for over 35 years at UW-Madison.
I applied to Nicholas because I knew I would learn a lot in the program. But it was Professor Blakely who taught me the most valuable lesson I was to learn....to remain humble, even as one achieves tremendous success professionally. Professor Blakely died less than a month after that meeting, but I still fondly remember a kind man, who taught me more about life in that three hour session.
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