Mark Griffey
Faisel Khan (C’98, ENG’98) is the Chief Financial Officer of Sempra Infrastructure, one of three platforms at Sempra. Sempra Infrastructure develops, builds, operates and invests in the infrastructure critical to meet the world’s energy and climate needs. At Sempra Infrastructure, Khan oversees the company’s finance, accounting, information technology, cybersecurity and supply optimization. Prior to his time at Sempra, Khan spent 20 years working in the banking industry before joining Sempra in 2018. In this Q&A with Penn Engineering, Khan discusses the excitement of picking his first classes and what he learned about life from the hardest class he took at Penn.
Tell us about your experience at Penn Engineering.
Growing up, I always liked the idea of engineering, whether it was building things in my backyard or going to work with my father, who was also an engineer. I remember being so excited perusing through the Penn course catalogue to pick my first classes and I was eager to take as many as possible.
In the end, I picked too many classes and overloaded my schedule. Eventually, I found the right balance. Engineering was hard, but I enjoyed it. In fact, I liked it so much, I did a couple summer sessions and an extra year to earn two majors and two minors.
What’s your most memorable moment?
My freshman year and life in Quad. It was an entirely new experience with an entirely new group of friends and colleagues. Everyone came from somewhere else and everyone had different points of view. It was that diversity of thinking at that moment in time that will stick with me forever.
Which professor had the greatest impact on you and why?
I remember Dr. David Meaney’s intro to Bioengineering and Biomechanics classes. These were difficult classes, and Dr. Meaney had very high expectations. I do believe he prepared me for life! From him, I learned that nothing is easy and time on task seems to edge out talent.
What inspires you to give to Penn?
My friends.
My network.
What I learned.
The opportunities.
The diversity.
West Philadelphia.
Giving someone else the means to experience even a fraction of what I received in my time at Penn.