Posted on October 22, 2014 by Lety Laurel
Patrick T. Mulva, MBA ’75, retired vice president and controller for Exxon Mobil Corporation, returned to his alma mater today to visit with business students and present the keynote Frost Distinguished Lecture address.
Patrick Mulva speaking to business students
Prior to his public address, Mulva had a conversation with top business students about his 38-year career at Exxon Mobil. He also answered student questions and provided career advice to the students.
Student participants included Trent Berryman, a senior majoring in entrepreneurship; Timothy Breidenbach, a senior majoring in finance; Alicia Cordes, MBA student; Lynsey Curran, a senior majoring in accounting; Angeline Mathew, a senior majoring in finance; Sutton Ogden, a senior majoring in finance; Jobana Tavera, a junior majoring in international business; and Daniela Vasquez, a senior majoring in finance.
“At Exxon Mobil, we grow all of our talent from within the company,” said Mulva who previously managed Exxon’s $550 million budget and 5,000-person finance team in over 50 countries. “I’ve always been a champion of openness and candor within a company. And, I’ve always valued diversity and inclusion within my team.”
Mulva noted one missed opportunity as he was interviewing for positions prior to graduation. He interviewed with Herb Kelleher for a financial analyst position in the early days of Southwest Airlines but decided against the opportunity. But, his greatest regret was not pursuing foreign assignments with Exxon Mobil much earlier in his career. He served as finance director of the Exxon companies in Malaysia from 1991 to 1993.
“Open yourself up to those possibilities,” said Mulva, a member of the college’s Advisory Council. “Push yourself out of your comfort zone. I believe in developing people to meet the needs of the world.”
Wendy Frost—
Please send your comments to: wendy.frost@utsa.edu
— Lety Laurel
