John Moten moved back to his hometown of St. Louis in 2013 from New York City, where he managed $400 million of international equities and fixed income securities for institutional clients. He was drawn by the offer of a senior executive position in his field – vice president for investor relations at Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals – and by the opportunity to come home.
A 27-year veteran of the investment industry, Moten has worked as a Wall Street analyst and at some of the leading financial services firms, including American Express, Citigroup and Deutsche Bank.
Readers of The American’s sports coverage may recall his name because he gave it to his son, John Moten Jr., who made Earl Austin’s Jr.’s 2014 All-American Football Team (at running back) for local small schools (he will be a senior at John Burroughs School). Moten Jr. has earned The American’s Prep Athlete of the Week honor twice, in 2014 for track (he is a sprinter) and 2013 for football.
“I read your paper,” Moten Sr. said, in the course of our conversation. “My son is in there a lot.” He and his wife, Valorie Moten, also have two older daughters, Elizabeth, 25, and Brittany 23.
Moten is also the son of a well-known man. His father retired as senior vice president and chief operating officer for Laclede Gas, where he worked for more than 40 years. He chaired the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis and served on the boards of St. Louis University, the St. Leadership Black Roundtable and SSM Health Care.
The American talked to Moten about coming home, life in the C Suite, where the CEO and other senior executives have their offices, and what approach to education is needed to turn around the St. Louis region.
The American: Why did you come back to St. Louis?
John Moten: For me, coming back to St. Louis was a homecoming. I started in the investment business 28 years ago. I started locally at AG Edwards when it was a local company; now it’s part of Wells Fargo. I started there and progressed, first to Mercantile Bank. Then 19 years ago I left St. Louis and worked across the financial spectrum, at large-asset and Wall Street firms. The opportunity to come back home was a result of Covidien spinning out Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals (in July 2013), when I was offered the opportunity to serve as vice president of investor relations.
The American: How does St. Louis differ today from when you left?
John Moten: One thing you really notice is how much more diverse it is today than when I left 19 years ago. I think the city has done a marvelous job in health care and the academic community. As an outsider coming back in, one thing I noticed is that Saint Louis University and Washington University are world-class institutions that really have bolstered the community as a whole. The infrastructure of St. Louis is very nice for a city of its size. Compared to the East Coast, the roads and bridges of St. Louis are in great shape. The quality of life is much better. In general, it’s been a pleasant return.
The American: What exactly do you do as vice president of investor relations?
John Moten: My role is a strategic management responsibility. I am responsible for integrated finance communications and marketing, and security law compliance. I am the primary spokesman to the financial community as related to Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals.
The American: I imagine you are dealing with sums of great value.
John Moten: Mallinckrodt is currently a $4.4 billion market-cap company. Last year our revenues were just over $2.2 billion in revenue. Mallinckrodt is very busy as related to investment – in the last four months, we announced mergers with a transaction total of $7 billion. My role is primarily communicating the strategic rationale of Mallinckrodt, in terms of where we are going, to key investors. I am the primary contact to institutional shareholders who want to own Mallinckrodt.
The American: Talk to me about life in the C Suite.
John Moten: It’s very exciting. Number one, I am part of all matters affecting the strategic direction of the company. It’s invigorating. Mallinckrodt is rapidly growing and changing, and it’s very exciting to be a part of that change. Secondly, this is not a 9-to-5 position. It’s seven days a week, 24/7. I don’t have a daily schedule, I have an around-the-clock job. You have to like what you do and be able to sustain yourself to do it on a constant basis.
The American: We hear a lot of disparaging remarks about the “1 percenters,” but it sounds like there are no slackers in the C Suite.
John Moten: There are no slackers in the C Suite. If you are slacking, you won’t be in the C Suite for long.
The American: What’s next for Mallinckrodt?
John Moten: Mallinckrodt’s ambition is to continue to grow in the specialty pharmaceuticals business, specifically in the areas of our pain management franchise and our legacy businesses. Our recent acquisitions also allow us to develop capability in auto immune and immunology areas, and I expect we will continue to accrue new business development through mergers and acquisitions that will supplement our internal growth.
The American: City Academy is one of your community commitments. How did you get involved?
John Moten: My City Academy involvement started with a reunion with a former classmate from my alma mater (Saint Lawrence University), Don Danforth (who co-founded the school with Duncan Marshall). Initially I visited to call on an old friend. We had a friendly lunch and tour of the facility, where I met with students. Subsequently, I participated in a mock interview with students who wanted to matriculate at one of the better secondary schools in the area. I was impressed by the caliber of students in an urban environment, the dedication of the teachers and the mission of City Academy. It’s a model for what we should see in education.
The American: How would you describe that model?
John Moten: City Academy is very effective in taking a holistic approach to education that involves students and families. The choice to attend City Academy is a family decisions, not the student’s decision. Parents are actively involved in the education process. The environment makes learning fun, and they try to teach students with a hands-on manner that makes learning exciting. They encourage and excite students to learn.
The American: City and County: better together?
John Moten: (Laughs.) I think the city and county both have unique opportunities and challenges as we move forward as a metropolitan area. One could argue that a cooperative marshaling of resources would be more efficient for the taxpayers.
The American: Do you agree with the premise of the “For the Sake of all” study that addressing race-based disparities in the region would advance the region as a whole?
John Moten: I would agree there is a very, very dire need to improve the overall quality of life of African Americans in this region in terms of education and income disparities. There is a very acute need to focus on these problems. I don’t think government is the solution, but a combination of government and community organizations is needed to highlight issues and, more importantly, to seek solutions to many of these issues. In my view, a lot of the solutions will begin with education.
