Rob Clark is SVP, Chief Communications Officer for Xcel Energy.
Formerly, he served as Managing Director for FGS Global based in the firm’s Chicago office. FGS Global is a leading strategic communications advisory firm specializing in helping companies address the evolving opportunities and challenges of the stakeholder economy. In this role, Mr. Clark worked with clients across a range of issues and programs including corporate reputation and positioning, crisis situations, M&A and shareholder activism. He has more than 25 years of experience in corporate communications, marketing and government affairs across health care, energy and telecommunications.
Prior to joining FGS Global, Mr. Clark was Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing & Communications Officer for Caris Life Sciences, where he led the Communications, Marketing, Government Relations, and Market Access functions. Caris Life Sciences is a privately held company specializing in tissue and blood-based molecular profiling solutions used in the detection, diagnosis, monitoring and treatment of cancer.
Prior to Caris, Mr. Clark was Head of Global Communications for ExxonMobil, where he was responsible for media relations, executive communications, employee communications, advertising, and digital and social media. Mr. Clark led the company’s communications response to a number of high-profile issues, including the company’s proxy contest in 2020-21, and the company’s efforts to inform the public about ExxonMobil’s climate change and environmental initiatives.
Prior to ExxonMobil, Mr. Clark served as Chief Communications Officer at Medtronic plc, the world’s leading medical technology company. At Medtronic, he led the company’s communications strategy surrounding the $50 billion inversion acquisition of Covidien, the company’s strategic rebranding, and the launch of numerous medical technologies and therapies globally. At Medtronic, he led a global team of more than 350 communications and marketing professionals.
Mr. Clark served in a variety of communications and government affairs leadership positions with ADC Telecommunications, Digi International and Acterna. He also served in the United States Air Force and Air Force Reserve, where he was a Minuteman II ICBM Missile Launch Crew Officer and Public Affairs Officer. He attained the rank of Major.
Mr. Clark is a member of the Board of Trustees for the Institute for Public Relations, the Dean’s Advisory Board to the University of Florida School of Communications and Journalism, and the Arthur Page Society. He is a graduate of The Virginia Military Institute with a B.A. in English, and he holds a M.A. in Political Science from the University of South Dakota.