In a sector known for advancing leading-edge risk mitigation strategies, CFO Rejji Hayes offers a risk-minded response to those who ask why he steered his career into the power and energy sector.

“I had this epiphany where I said ‘It would be nice to find (a sector) that’s was a little less cyclical and a little less transactional.’ … And people generally need heat and electricity irrespective of economic cycles,” explains Hayes, who exited an investment banking career in 2009 to join the treasury function of energy giant Exelon before blazing a path to the CFO office at CMS Energy of Jackson, Michigan.

Today, Hayes illuminates the CMS risk mindset by emphasizing the value of risk mitigation opportunities: “During the course of the year - whether its weather developments, adverse regulatory outcomes or other downside cases -  we try to identify enough risk mitigating opportunities to offset those risks,” explains Hayes. Join us when Hayes retraces his steps to the CFO office and lists his priorities for the year ahead.