April 2023, Vol. 250, No. 4
Business
People in the News April 2023
People
Southern Company appointed Chris Womack as president and CEO, replacing Thomas A. Fanning, who remains with the company as chairman of the board. Womack joined the company in 1988 as a governmental affairs representative for Alabama Power. He previously was executive vice president and president of external affairs for Southern Company and was named chairman, president and CEO of Georgia Power in 2021.
Southern Company also announced that Kimberly S. (Kim) Greene has been named chair of the board of directors, CEO and president of Georgia Power, Greene, who joined Southern Company in 1991 as an engineer designing equipment for power generation stations, most recently served for five years as chairman, president and CEO of Southern Company Gas. She is replaced in that role by James Y. (Jim) Kerr II has been named chairman of the board of directors, CEO and president of Southern Company Gas. He began his Southern Company career in 2014 as the executive vice president, chief legal officer, and chief compliance officer where he led the Office of the General Counsel, which includes the company’s legal, corporate governance, audit and compliance functions.
NW Natural has promoted Joe Karney to vice president of Engineering and Utility Operations from senior director of Utility Operations. He replaces Jon Huddleston, who is retiring.
Thermoplastic composite pipe (TCP) manufacturer Strohm announced three senior appointments in anticipation of growth after tripling its production capacity at its facility in The Netherlands. Sjoerd Verhoef was named project director, filling a vacancy created by the promotion of Hubert Brinkhuis to operations director, and Mathieu Feisthauer was named business development manager of Europe. Verhoef previously supported the aviation and aerospace industry as GKN Fokker’s chief engineer.
ICR Integrity named Gemma Neal as head of Marketing and Communications. She has more than 18 years of marketing and communications experience across energy and other sectors, most recently as head of Marketing at Vysus Group, she led the global rebranding from Lloyd’s Register Energy and worked across the business to support international business initiatives.
Aberdeen-based Paradigm Drilling Services promoted Jim Profit to chief operating officer to support a global expansion of its drilling technologies. profit has more than 20 years of oil and gas experience, specializing in technology and monitoring systems. He previously was with Ulterra, Reed Hycalog, Salunda and NOV.
AltaGas Ltd. announced the retirement of Randy Crawford as president and CEO, after leading the company for four years. AltaGas said Crawford would stay with the Calgary-based infrastructure company until a successor is named.
Ameren Illinois Company named Patrick Smith as senior vice president of Operations and Technical Services to replace the retiring David Wakeman and named Craig Gilson vice president of electric operations and distribution. Smith has been with Ameren for nearly four decades, previously serving as vice president of Economic, Community and Business Development, and vice president, Division Operations for Ameren Missouri. He joined Union Electric, now Ameren Missouri, in 1985 as a meter reader before quickly advancing to leadership positions. Smith holds a bachelor’s of science degree in industrial and organizational psychology and an Executive MBA from Washington University. Gilson’s career also spans 40 years with Ameren. He joined Central Illinois Light Company (CILCO), now Ameren Illinois, as an engineer in Power Generation. He previously was director of Division Operations, Ameren Illinois and oversaw 43 operating divisions as senior director Electric Operations and Distribution. He holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Illinois, an MBA from Bradley University, and is a certified Project Management Professional. Gilson chairs the Reliability and Resiliency Working Group for the Edison Electric Institute Distribution Executive Committee.
Darin Carroll has been promoted to senior vice president, Natural Gas Business, at Centerpoint Energy from senior vice president, Operations Support. Tony Gardner, formerly vice president, customer experience, has been appointed senior vice president and chief customer officer. Steve Greenley, formerly senior vice president, generation development, has been appointed senior vice president, utility operations support. Kate Porter, formerly director, continuous improvement and data analytics, has been promoted to vice president, enterprise operational excellence.
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