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On the show
From 10 epsHost
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Recent episodes
Lyceum's Cybersecurity Series Part 1: "What You Don't Know CAN Hurt YOU"
Nov 12, 2025
44m 57s
"The Weight of Command: The Ehime Maru Tragedy and the Case for Transparency" with Admiral Thomas B Fargo
Oct 29, 2025
1h 07m 42s
"Leading Explosive Growth" with Dan Bane, Retired President and CEO of Trader Joe's
Jan 22, 2025
1h 21m 16s
A Regulatory Primer for Board Members with Non Regulatory Backgrounds with Dr. Mark Jamison
May 12, 2023
54m 10s
The Energy Within Us. A wide-ranging discussion about the upbringing and developmental experiences of four pioneering corporate leaders
Mar 12, 2023
1h 14m 30s
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| Date | Episode | Topics | Guests | Brands | Places | Keywords | Sponsor | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11/12/25 | ![]() Lyceum's Cybersecurity Series Part 1: "What You Don't Know CAN Hurt YOU"✨ | cybersecuritygovernance+1 | Jorge BenitezBrook Colangelo+3 | Lyceum'sA CEO's Virtual Mentor ®+10 | — | knowledgeillusion of knowledge+1 | — | 44m 57s | |
| 10/29/25 | ![]() "The Weight of Command: The Ehime Maru Tragedy and the Case for Transparency" with Admiral Thomas B Fargo✨ | leadershiptransparency+2 | Admiral Thomas B Fargo | the USS Greenevillethe Ehime Maru+12 | OahuU.S.–Japan | Ehime MaruNavy+1 | — | 1h 07m 42s | |
| 1/22/25 | ![]() "Leading Explosive Growth" with Dan Bane, Retired President and CEO of Trader Joe's✨ | leadershipbusiness growth+1 | Dan Bane | Trader Joe'sTheo Albrecht+17 | Chicago | Trader Joe'sCEO+1 | — | 1h 21m 16s | |
| 5/12/23 | ![]() A Regulatory Primer for Board Members with Non Regulatory Backgrounds with Dr. Mark Jamison✨ | regulatory backgroundboard members+1 | Dr Mark Jamison | Non Regulatory BackgroundsPublic Utility Research Center+17 | GainesvilleChicago | regulationboard governance+1 | — | 54m 10s | |
| 3/12/23 | ![]() The Energy Within Us. A wide-ranging discussion about the upbringing and developmental experiences of four pioneering corporate leaders✨ | upbringingdevelopmental experiences+4 | Unnamed Guest 4Unnamed Guest 3+2 | The Energy Within Usthe Leadership Lyceum:+10 | MississippiOklahoma+1 | energy industryleadership+2 | — | 1h 14m 30s | |
| 2/24/21 | ![]() Why is Achieving Diversity So Hard? Overcoming Homophily and Our Own Human Nature with Sociologist James Cook✨ | diversityhomophily+3 | James Cook | Lyceum Leadership Consultingthe Leadership Lyceum:+8 | USFrance+1 | board diversitygender diversity+2 | — | 58m 01s | |
| 12/18/20 | ![]() Inspiring award-winning performances from your talent: Crossover applications to business leadership from the theatrical development process with Charles Newell, Artistic Director of Court Theatre in Chicago✨ | theatrical developmentbusiness leadership+2 | Charles Newell | The Adventures of Augie MarchCourt Theatre+24 | Chicago | Court TheatreChicago+2 | — | 56m 23s | |
| 6/21/19 | ![]() The Anatomy of a Private Equity Investment: from M&A roll-up, to IPO, and beyond with Advanced Disposal Services' Chairman and CEO Richard Burke✨ | Private EquityM&A roll-up+2 | Richard Burke | Advanced Disposal ServicesAdvanced Disposal Services'+12 | — | Advanced Disposal ServicesCEO+2 | — | 55m 17s | |
| 5/17/19 | ![]() A Remarkable Corporate Turnaround: The "Take-Private" of Talen Energy with CEO Ralph Alexander and CFO Alex Hernandez✨ | corporate turnaroundtake-private+2 | Ralph AlexanderAlex Hernandez | Talen 1.0Talen Energy+15 | SusquehannaNew England | Talen Energyleadership approaches+2 | — | 46m 25s | |
| 4/19/19 | ![]() Climate Change as the Foremost Challenge of Our Generation with Dr. Ralph Izzo, Chairman, President and CEO of PSEG✨ | climate changeutility industry+3 | Dr Ralph Izzo | PSEGPublic Service Enterprise Group+14 | NewarkNew Jersey+1 | Earth DayPSEG+2 | — | 37m 25s | |
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| 3/19/19 | ![]() The ESG Canvas for Corporate Reporting with Pat Kampling, Chairman & CEO of Alliant Energy | A CEO's Virtual Mentor Episode 20 The ESG Canvas for Corporate Reporting with Pat Kampling, Chairman and CEO of Alliant Energy Welcome to Episode 20. I am joined by Pat Kampling, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Alliant Energy in Madison Wisconsin. This Episode 20 covers several areas of topical interest including a discussion on 'sustainability' and the quickly emerging and rapidly evolving area of ESG or "Environmental, Social, and Governance" criteria. Institutional investors are demanding action and attention to ESG and CEO's are responding by charting their companies' course. This is not without tension for corporate management teams. We'll discuss with Pat how she and Alliant have been addressing ESG and hopefully put you at ease. Madison-based Alliant Energy has a $10.8 billion market cap as a public utility holding company that provides regulated electric and gas service through its subsidiaries, Interstate Power and Light and Wisconsin Power and Light to 410,000 gas customers and just shy of one million electric customers. Pat has served as chairman and CEO since 2012 and prior to that, she was COO for about a year and prior to that, she was CFO and Treasurer and has an extensive finance background. Foundationally, Pat is an engineer and a registered professional engineer at that --- a true renaissance woman. I'd like to express our special thanks to the clients of Lyceum Leadership Consulting that enable us to bring you this podcast. The UN "Principles for Responsible Investment" or PRI are a set of six principles that provide a global standard for responsible investing as it relates to environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) factors. Organizations follow these principles to meet commitments to beneficiaries while aligning investment activities with the broader interests of society. The PRI movement began in early 2005, when the then United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan invited a group of the world's largest institutional investors to join a process to develop the Principles for Responsible Investment. The Principles were launched in April 2006 at the New York Stock Exchange. Since then the number of signatories has grown from 100 to over 1,800. I'll briefly summarize the six principles that investor-signatories publicly demonstrate: They incorporate ESG issues into investment analysis and decision-making processes. They are active owners and incorporate ESG issues into their ownership policies and practices. They seek appropriate disclosure on ESG issues by the entities in which they invest. They promote acceptance and implementation of the Principles within the investment industry. They work together to enhance their effectiveness in implementing the Principles. They each report on their activities and progress towards implementing the Principles. Sweeping in its reach, isn't it? But what triggered a Madison-based company to consider these UN Principles as a guide? Thanks for listening. We can't improve without your feedback – write us through our website www.LeadershipLyceum.com and subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts. Informative and Helpful Links The UN "Principles for Responsible Investment" or PRI. Alliant Energy's 2018 Corporate Sustainability Report Goldman Sachs' ESG Report from 2017. See the impressive list of "Key Metrics and Indicators" on page 30 – 32. Program Guide Episode 20 The ESG Canvas for Corporate Reporting with Pat Kampling, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Alliant Energy 0:32 Introduction to Episode 20 and Pat Kampling, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Alliant Energy 2:40 ESG discussion and the Sustainability Report of Alliant Energy 7:46 Break 1 8:12 Investor demands around ESG cuts through politics 9:05 Safety at Alliant Energy 13:38 Break 2 13:52 Culture shaping at Alliant Energy 21:04 Break 3 21:20 Experience and advice in moving from CFO to CEO 22:46 Increasing and managing the tempo of an organization 28:18 The CEO role as a liberating role 28:55 Farewell and congratulations on Pat Kampling's retirement effective July 1, 2019 28:54 Preview of upcoming Episode 21 with Ralph Izzo, Chairman, President and CEO of PSEG in Newark, NJ Biographies of Guests Ms. Patricia Leonard Kampling Pat Kampling is Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Alliant Energy Corporation. Her broad experience within the utility industry has proven essential to Alliant Energy's ability to ensure competitive costs and reliable service for customers, while strategically leveraging a balanced generation portfolio. Pat has responsibility for leading the performance and strategic growth of Alliant Energy's regulated utility companies (IPL and WPL), serving customers in more than 1,200 communities throughout Iowa and Wisconsin. She also provides executive direction for Alliant Energy Resources, the parent company of Alliant Energy's non-regulated businesses, which includes Alliant Energy Transportation and non- regulated generation facilities. Pat joined Alliant Energy in 2005 and served originally as Alliant Energy's Vice President of Finance. She then transitioned into roles as Vice President and Treasurer; Vice President Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer; Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. In these roles, Pat guided the financial objectives of the company, supported regulatory proceedings, promoted environmental commitments, and was instrumental in the development and communication of a long-term strategic plan. In 2011, Pat became President and Chief Operating Officer. She was responsible for overall corporate operations and was instrumental in the execution of Alliant Energy's capital plan, commitment to customers, environmental planning and safety initiatives. She was named Chairman, President and CEO in 2012. Before joining Alliant Energy in 2005, Pat spent more than 20 years in increasingly responsible finance, treasury, regulatory and engineering positions within Exelon Corporation, ultimately serving as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Exelon Enterprises and the Treasurer of Commonwealth Edison. Pat holds bachelor's degrees in engineering and economics from Swarthmore College, an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School, and is a registered Professional Engineer. She serves on the Boards of Directors of American Transmission Company and Briggs & Stratton Corporation. In February 2019, Pat announced her intent to retire from the company on July 1, 2019. The Board of Directors appointed Alliant Energy President and Chief Operating Officer John O. Larsen to succeed Kampling. More information on that announcement can be found in this article. Your host Thomas B. Linquist is the Founder and Managing Partner of Lyceum Leadership Consulting and Lyceum Leadership Productions. Over his 14 years in management and leadership consulting he has served a wide array of industrial clients. This includes leadership assessment and search for chief executive officers, chief financial officers, chief operating officers and boards of directors. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and over his 28-year career has served in a variety of roles: as an engineer with Shell Oil Company, a banker with ABN AMRO Bank, and as treasurer was the youngest corporate officer in the 150+ year history at Peoples Energy Company in Chicago. He is an expert on hiring and promotion decisions and leadership development. Over the course of his search career, he has interviewed thousands of leaders. Thanks for listening. We can't improve without your feedback – write us through our website www.LeadershipLyceum.com and subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts. Please rate us and spread the word among your fellow executives and board colleagues. Program Disclaimer The only purpose of the podcast is to educate, inform and entertain. The information shared is based on the collection of experiences of each of the guests interviewed and should not be considered or substituted for professional advice. Guests who speak in this podcast express their own opinions, experience and conclusions, and neither The Leadership Lyceum LLC nor any company providing financial support endorses or opposes any particular content, recommendation or methodology discussed in this podcast. Follow Leadership Lyceum on: Our website: www.LeadershipLyceum.com LinkedIn: The Leadership Lyceum LLC Twitter: @LeaderLyceum https://twitter.com/LeaderLyceum Email us: info@LeadershipLyceum.com Thanks for listening. We can't improve without your feedback – write us through our website www.LeadershipLyceum.com and subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts. Please rate us and spread the word among your fellow executives and board colleagues. This podcast Leadership Lyceum: A CEO's Virtual Mentor has been a production of The Leadership Lyceum LLC. Copyright 2019. All rights reserved. | — | ||||||
| 2/15/19 | ![]() Redefining Leadership in a Traditional Industry with Mary Powell, CEO of Green Mountain Power | A CEO's Virtual Mentor Episode 19 Redefining Leadership in a Traditional Industry with Mary Powell, President and Chief Executive Officer of Green Mountain Power Corporation Welcome to Episode 19. I am joined by Mary Powell, President and Chief Executive Officer of Green Mountain Power in Vermont. This Episode 19 presents a unique CEO profile in Mary Powell. Many of the CEO's that we have featured in the past have come from science, technology and engineering disciplines or law or finance backgrounds. Mary was raised in an artistic household on New York's Upper West Side. Her father was a hardworking, constantly auditioning New York actor. Mary attended the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts made widely famous by the 1980 dramatic film Fame based on student life at the School of Performing Arts. Mary studied art with a particular passion for charcoal drawing with its kinetic form of big, bold, and fast movement. She was graduated with a degree in Liberal Arts from Keene State College in New Hampshire. Her career experience prior to Green Mountain Power included a breath of variety – for a large fund manager specializing in money markets, for state government, and in banking. Through our conversation it will become very apparent how Mary's creative and liberal arts background and variety of experience renders her as a uniquely effective leader in a utility industry that most often abides by tradition. I'd like to express our special thanks to the clients of Lyceum Leadership Consulting that enable us to bring you this podcast. Thanks for listening. We can't improve without your feedback – write us through our website www.LeadershipLyceum.com and subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts. See you next time. Informative and Helpful Links An April 3rd 2013 article on architecture website Arch Daily entitled "Can Architecture Make Us More Creative?" by Jonathan C. Molloy posed an interesting lead in question: "What do MIT's Building 20, the Ancient Greek Agora, 18th Century British teahouses, and early 20th century Parisian cafés have in common?" "They were some of the most creative spaces in the world." Goes the answer. The Green Mountain Power INSPiRE SPACE. See video link on our program page on the Episode 19 page on our website. Website: https://gmpinspire.com/ From Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman, and dramatist Seneca, "Mihi crede, verum gaudium res severa est." Epistulae morales, 23, 4 ---- "Believe me, true joy is a serious business." Program Guide Episode 19 Redefining Leadership in a Traditional Industry with Mary Powell, President and Chief Executive Officer of Green Mountain Power Corporation 0:32 Introduction to Episode 19 and Mary Powell, President and CEO of Green Mountain Power 2:17 Introduction to Green Mountain Power 3:44 Progression of Green Mountain Power accomplishments and award recognition. 6:43 Origins of orientation toward fulfilling 'customer dreams' and 'love' for customers 7:52 The Tesla Powerwall as an answer to customer dreams and to ridding the dependence on 'peakers' in Vermont 10:38 Break 1 11:01 Innovation at Green Mountain Power 13:11 Physical space and its role in innovation and GMP's INSPiRE SPACE. See video link on our program page on the Episode 19 page on our website. And "Can Architecture Make Us More Creative?" by Jonathan C. Molloy 16:54 Break 2 17:09 Boundaries or lack thereof at GMP 21:24 Break 3 21:46 M&A at Green Mountain Power and 'the ability to soar' 25:13 Final Break 4 25:28 Conclusion: Mary Powell's leadership that draws upon her upbringing and liberal arts education 27:40 Famous Last Words – Seneca "Mihi crede, verum gaudium res severa est." Epistulae morales, 23, 4 28:06 Preview of upcoming Episode 20 and Patricia Kampling, CEO of Alliant Energy in Madison Wisconsin. Biographies of Guests Ms. Mary Powell Mary Powell is nationally recognized as an energy visionary, positioning Green Mountain Power as a leading energy transformation company. Delivering clean, cost-effective and highly reliable power to customers all across Vermont, GMP offers cutting-edge products and service to reduce costs and carbon. In 2017, GMP was named one of the top 10 energy companies in the world by Fast Company. GMP has also achieved the top score for mid-sized utilities in the East Region in J.D. Power's 2016 electric utility residential customer satisfaction study. Mary has served as president and chief executive officer for GMP since 2008. She initiated and implemented a strategic and comprehensive restructuring of the company that dramatically transformed GMP, and she has been the backbone of a cultural transformation and service quality improvement. Fast, fun, and effective is her motto. Under Mary's leadership, GMP became the first utility in the world to become a member of B Corp, showing a commitment to use energy as a force for good. Mary has delivered on an ambitious energy vision to provide low-carbon, low-cost and highly reliable power to Vermonters. As a result, GMP became the first utility to offer to help customers go off-grid, built Vermont's largest wind farm, made Rutland, Vermont, the Solar Generation Capital of New England, and installed smart grid technology across GMP's service territory. In 2012, Mary led the acquisition of Central Vermont Public Service (CVPS), with a promise to generate $144 million in savings for customers. GMP has grown from serving 88,000 customers in 2008 to serving over 260,000 customers, with revenues of more than $640 million and $2 billion in assets. And in 2015, Mary led another partnership with Tesla, with GMP becoming the first utility anywhere to offer customers the Tesla Powerwall battery. In 2014, Mary was recognized by Powergen as the Woman of the Year, in 2015 The Burlington Free Press named her Vermonter of the Year, in 2016 Fast Company named Mary one of the 100 most creative people in business, and in 2017, Mary was named one of the top 25 Most Influential Women of the Mid-Market by CEO Connection. Your host Thomas B. Linquist is the Founder and Managing Partner of Lyceum Leadership Consulting and Lyceum Leadership Productions. Over his 16 years in management and leadership consulting he has served a wide array of industrial clients. This includes leadership assessment and search for chief executive officers, chief financial officers, chief operating officers and boards of directors. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and over his 27-year career has served in a variety of roles: as an engineer with Shell Oil Company, a banker with ABN AMRO Bank, and as treasurer was the youngest corporate officer in the 150+ year history at Peoples Energy Company in Chicago. He is an expert on hiring and promotion decisions and leadership development. Over the course of his search career, he has interviewed thousands of leaders. Thanks for listening. We can't improve without your feedback – write us through our website www.LeadershipLyceum.com and subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts. Please rate us and spread the word among your fellow executives and board colleagues. Program Disclaimer The only purpose of the podcast is to educate, inform and entertain. The information shared is based on the collection of experiences of each of the guests interviewed and should not be considered or substituted for professional advice. Guests who speak in this podcast express their own opinions, experience and conclusions, and neither The Leadership Lyceum LLC nor any company providing financial support endorses or opposes any particular content, recommendation or methodology discussed in this podcast. Follow Leadership Lyceum on: Our website: www.LeadershipLyceum.com LinkedIn: The Leadership Lyceum LLC Twitter: @LeaderLyceum https://twitter.com/LeaderLyceum Email us: info@LeadershipLyceum.com Thanks for listening. We can't improve without your feedback – write us through our website www.LeadershipLyceum.com and subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts. Please rate us and spread the word among your fellow executives and board colleagues. This podcast Leadership Lyceum: A CEO's Virtual Mentor has been a production of The Leadership Lyceum LLC. Copyright 2019. All rights reserved. | — | ||||||
| 1/15/19 | ![]() Leading a Regional Electricity Grid: Transition to a Clean Energy Future with Gordon van Welie, CEO of ISO New England | A CEO's Virtual Mentor Episode 17 "Leading a Regional Electricity Grid and the Transition to a Clean Energy Future" with Gordon van Welie, President and CEO of ISO New England Welcome to Episode 17. I joined Gordon Van Welie, President and Chief Executive Officer of ISO New England on a clear late summer's day at his office just outside of Springfield, Massachusetts. The general population would likely not be aware of the pivotal and critical role that an independent system operator plays in the reliable delivery of electricity across large regions of the United States moment by moment, 24/7. ISO New England is an independent system operator that is responsible for the transmission of electricity across the six-state New England region that includes Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. The company's power system engineers, economists, computer scientists and other professionals ensure that the region has reliable, competitively priced wholesale electricity today and into the future. Gordon hails from South Africa and spent the foundational years of his career in a variety of engineering roles with Eskom, South Africa's electric utility. He joined Siemens and served as vice president and general manager of their power system's control division, delivering IT solutions for electric companies. From Siemens, he joined ISO New England as COO in September of 2000 and, shortly thereafter, was promoted to CEO in May of 2001. Thanks for listening. We can't improve without your feedback – write us through our website www.LeadershipLyceum.com and subscribe on iTunes. See you next time. Informative and Helpful Links FERC Orders 888 and 889 ISO New England's website Program Guide Episode 17 Leading a Regional Electricity Grid and the Transition to a Clean Energy Future An Interview with Gordon van Welie, President and Chief Executive Officer of ISO New England 0:30 Introduction to Episode 17 1:07 Introduction to ISO New England and Gordon van Welie its President and CEO 2:18 Foundations and origins of Independent System Operators and Regional Transmission Operators 3:50 Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Orders 888 and 889 4:30 Critical policy question – how to decarbonize the electric system. 8:05 Break 1 8:22 The regional, state and federal level policy tapestry that affects the ISO 14:50 Break 2 10:56 The regional-level versus state-level policy in New England 17:55 Break 3 18:17 Operational risks such as fuel supply and the changing generation resource mix 19:23 "Fuel security" explained 21:24 Break 4 21:46 Is there a phased approach to a carbon-free future that assures power availability? 24:16 Electricity storage and other constraints on arrival speed to our clean energy future 26:40 Break 5 27:01 What can policy makers do to alleviate the constraints? 28:47 Resources, people and talent at the ISO that lead and stay abreast 30:26 Working with universities – intern programs and R&D work with professors 32:23 Closing comments – Perspective for young people coming up in a dramatically more exciting electric industry. Biographies of Guests Mr. Gordon van Welie Gordon van Welie is President and Chief Executive Officer of ISO New England Inc., having previously served as the company's Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. He joined ISO New England from Siemens Power Transmission & Distribution LLC, where he served as Vice President and General Manager of the Power Systems Control Division and was responsible for managing information technology solutions for electric companies. Before coming to Siemens, Mr. van Welie held several positions at ESKOM, South Africa's electric utility based in Johannesburg. Mr. van Welie is a member of the Executive Committee of the US National Committee of CIGRE and the Member Representatives Committee of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC). In 2016, he was awarded the Leadership in Power Award from the IEEE Power & Energy Society. Subscribe to the podcast at iTunes: https://t.co/a70rtSiQnW Follow Leadership Lyceum on: Our website: www.LeadershipLyceum.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-linquist-682997 Twitter: @LeaderLyceum https://twitter.com/LeaderLyceum Email us: info@LeadershipLyceum.com Please subscribe to the Leadership Lyceum at iTunes which will enable future content to come to you automatically. Rate us and spread the word among your fellow executives and board colleagues. Your host Thomas B. Linquist is the Founder and Managing Partner of Lyceum Leadership Consulting and Lyceum Leadership Productions. Over his 17 years in management and leadership consulting he has served a wide array of industrial clients. This includes leadership assessment and search for chief executive officers, chief financial officers, chief operating officers and boards of directors. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and over his 28-year career has served in a variety of roles: as an engineer with Shell Oil Company, a banker with ABN AMRO Bank, and as treasurer was the youngest corporate officer in the 150+ year history at Peoples Energy Company in Chicago. He is an expert on hiring and promotion decisions and leadership development. Over the course of his search career, he has interviewed thousands of leaders. Please subscribe to the Leadership Lyceum in the podcast section at iTunes which will enable future content to come to you automatically. Rate us and spread the word among your fellow executives and board colleagues. Program Disclaimer The only purpose of the podcasts is to educate, inform and entertain. The information shared is based on the collection of experiences of each of the guests interviewed and should not be considered or substituted for professional advice. Guests who speak in this podcast express their own opinions, experience and conclusions, and neither The Leadership Lyceum LLC nor any company providing financial support endorses or opposes any particular content, recommendation or methodology discussed in this podcast. This podcast Leadership Lyceum: A CEO's Virtual Mentor has been a production of The Leadership Lyceum LLC. Copyright 2019. All rights reserved. | — | ||||||
| 12/17/18 | ![]() Leading an Industry Association with Sue Kelly, CEO of the American Public Power Association | A CEO's Virtual Mentor Episode 18 Leading an Industry Association with Sue Kelly, President and Chief Executive Officer of the American Public Power Association (APPA) Welcome to Episode 18. I am joined by Sue Kelly, President and Chief Executive Officer of the American Public Power Association (APPA) in her office in Washington, DC. Our past 17 episodes have presented CEOs across a wide spectrum of company settings including publicly-traded, privately-held, and not-for-profits. This episode presents a CEO's leadership over a unique type of organization – the industry association. Industry associations perform many complex roles for their membership including: as advocate for an industry's position on political, legislative, and regulatory issues; as information source on current and emerging issues from an informed frontline position; as promoter of the industry, its people and their accomplishments; and as educator for the professionalism of its membership. The American Public Power Association serves its membership, which is comprised of about 1,400 public power utilities, in 49 states, excluding Hawaii, and including the territories of American Samoa, Guam, northern Mariana, the US Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. Sue Kelly has served as APPA's CEO since 2014. Like public schools and libraries, public power utilities are owned by the community and run as a division of local government. Governance is typically provided by a local city council or an elected or appointed board. Thanks for listening. We can't improve without your feedback – write us through our website www.LeadershipLyceum.com and subscribe on iTunes. See you next time. Informative and Helpful Links Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America Alex Radin's Public Power - Private Life Washington Post Obituary for Alex Radin from May 31, 2014 Speech of Franklin Delano Roosevelt a Campaign Address in Portland, Oregon on Sept 21st 1932 Sue Kelly's bio and blog Program Guide Episode 18 Industry Association Leadership and the American Public Power Association An Interview with Sue Kelly President and Chief Executive Officer of APPA 0:00 Introduction to Episode 18 1:44 Introduction to Sue Kelly, President and CEO of APPA 2:44 Associations, democracy, and Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America 3:30 An association's general role and function 4:30 APPA's service role and function 5:30 Sue Kelly's foundational experience leading to CEO of APPA 6:33 Policy areas of focus in Sue Kelly's foundational experience 7:39 Break 1 7:55 Well intended policies – unintended consequences: enter joint action agencies and the autobiography of long time APPA CEO Alex Radin - Public Power - Private Life 10:40 Break 2 10:56 The influence of Alex Radin on public power 12:10 Franklin Delano Roosevelt and public power as the birch rod and historical look at FDR's influence on public power. Speech of Franklin Delano Roosevelt a Campaign Address in Portland, Oregon on Sept 21st 1932 15:14 Break 3 15:32 Story-worthy moments for Sue Kelly as CEO of APPA 19:46 Break 4 20:05 Technology's role at APPA as enabler 25:13 The dark side of technology – cybersecurity risk 27:54 (Final) Break 5 28:15 APPA and mutual aid and assistance 32:32 Closing comments Biographies of Guests Ms. Sue Kelly Sue is president and CEO of the American Public Power Association — the first woman to hold the position in the Association's 76-year history. Under her leadership, the Association has advocated to protect tax exemption for municipal bonds and preserve public power's right to self supply in wholesale electricity markets. She has helped strengthen cybersecurity awareness and resources and raise the profile of public power. Sue was designated 2017 Woman of the Year by the Women's Council on Energy and Environment. In 2015, she was named one of the 100 Most Powerful Women by Washingtonian magazine. She has been in the energy field for 35 years, spending much of her career as an energy lawyer. Subscribe to the podcast at iTunes: https://t.co/a70rtSiQnW or SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/thomas-linquist Follow Leadership Lyceum on: Our website: www.LeadershipLyceum.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-linquist-682997 Twitter: @LeaderLyceum https://twitter.com/LeaderLyceum Email us: info@LeadershipLyceum.com Please subscribe to the Leadership Lyceum at iTunes which will enable future content to come to you automatically. Rate us and spread the word among your fellow executives and board colleagues. Your host Thomas B. Linquist is the Founder and Managing Partner of Lyceum Leadership Consulting and Lyceum Leadership Productions. Over his 16 years in management and leadership consulting he has served a wide array of industrial clients. This includes leadership assessment and search for chief executive officers, chief financial officers, chief operating officers and boards of directors. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and over his 27-year career has served in a variety of roles: as an engineer with Shell Oil Company, a banker with ABN AMRO Bank, and as treasurer was the youngest corporate officer in the 150+ year history at Peoples Energy Company in Chicago. He is an expert on hiring and promotion decisions and leadership development. Over the course of his search career, he has interviewed thousands of leaders. Please subscribe to the Leadership Lyceum in the podcast section at iTunes which will enable future content to come to you automatically. Rate us and spread the word among your fellow executives and board colleagues. Program Disclaimer The only purpose of the podcasts is to educate, inform and entertain. The information shared is based on the collection of experiences of each of the guests interviewed and should not be considered or substituted for professional advice. Guests who speak in this podcast express their own opinions, experience and conclusions, and neither The Leadership Lyceum LLC nor any company providing financial support endorses or opposes any particular content, recommendation or methodology discussed in this podcast. This podcast Leadership Lyceum: A CEO's Virtual Mentor has been a production of The Leadership Lyceum LLC. Copyright 2018. All rights reserved. | — | ||||||
| 9/10/18 | ![]() Turnarounds, Veterans, and a Tribute to Senator John McCain with Don Brandt, CEO of Pinnacle West | A CEO's Virtual Mentor Episode 16 "Turnarounds, Veterans, and a Tribute to Senator John McCain" with Don Brandt, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Pinnacle West Interview with Don Brandt, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Pinnacle West (Ticker: PNW) and the turnaround of the company's principal subsidiary, regulated utility Arizona Public Service through regulatory processes; also hiring military veterans and reservists; and, a tribute to the late Senator John McCain. This episode is dedicated to our military veterans and to the memory of Senator John McCain of Arizona. Welcome to Episode 16. I joined Don Brandt, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Pinnacle West, more commonly known as Arizona Public Service, under azure Phoenix skies in early March of 2018. $3.5 bln revenue Pinnacle West Capital Corp. is an energy holding company based in Phoenix, Arizona, has consolidated assets of about $17 billion, about 6,200 megawatts of generating capacity and 6,300 employees in Arizona and New Mexico. Through its principal subsidiary, Arizona Public Service, the Company provides retail electricity service to nearly 1.2 million Arizona homes and businesses. This episode is dedicated to our military veterans and to the memory of Senator John McCain of Arizona. Arizona Public Service has its origins within a storied past. Natural and man-made infrastructure were key to the settlement of the western US and provide the backdrop or dramatic context for wild west legend and lore. Railroads access, river crossings, mining, water resources, and power generation were antecedent admixtures to the conditions for statehood in the west. Arizona Public Service was founded five years after the infamous gunfight at OK Corral and a quarter century before Arizona became a state. The company has served Arizona for more than 125 years. Thanks for listening. We can't improve without your feedback – write us through our website www.LeadershipLyceum.com and subscribe on iTunes. See you next time. Program Guide Episode 16 Turnarounds, Veterans, and a Tribute to Senator John McCain with Don Brandt, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Pinnacle West 0:30 Introduction to Episode 16 2:12 Leading a turnaround of the utility through more effective regulatory processes 5:17 Break 1 5:33 Broader historical context for the setting of the turnaround 12:06 Break 2 12:23 Managing decisions and divestiture of non-regulated diversified assets 14:47 Hiring Military Veterans and Reservists 18:30 Break 3 18:53 Don Brandt and Tony Orlando - Tribute to Senator John McCain 26:31 The End Biographies of Guests Mr. Donald Brandt Donald Brandt is Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer of Pinnacle West and Arizona Public Service (APS). In 2009, Brandt was elected to Pinnacle West's board of directors and promoted to Chairman, President and CEO of Pinnacle West and Chairman and CEO of APS. Before assuming these responsibilities, Brandt held several leadership positions with the company, including APS president, executive vice president and chief financial officer. He again added the title of president of APS in 2013. Prior to joining Pinnacle West in 2002, Brandt gained 20 years of power industry experience. He served as senior vice president and chief financial officer at Ameren Corporation, a St. Louis-based energy company. Prior to Ameren, he was at Price Waterhouse & Co., where he provided accounting, audit and consulting services to Fortune 500 public companies. A recognized industry leader, Brandt currently serves as chairman of the Nuclear Energy Institute and vice chairman of the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations. He also sits on the board of the Edison Electric Institute. Brandt is a leader in the community as well, serving on the boards of the McCain Institute, the Phoenix Art Museum and the Nature Conservancy in Arizona. Brandt earned his Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from St. Louis University. Mr. Tony Orlando Tony Orlando is one of America's most endearing and enduring iconic stars. 2017 finds Tony bringing his exhilarating energy, warmth and humor to a tour of live concert shows across the nation as he celebrates over five decades as a beloved entertainer. 2016 found Tony collecting a dizzying number of top honors. These include the Casino Entertainer of the Year Award, recipient of the "Best All Around Entertainer" Las Vegas which he has won a total of four times, and previously three times in Atlantic City; Jukebox Artist of the Year Award from the Amusement and Music Owners Association of New York; The Ellis Island Medal of Honor one of the nation's most prestigious awards; The Bob Hope Award for excellence in entertainment from the Congressional Medal of Honor Society honoring his efforts on behalf of our nation's veterans. Tony's tireless work on behalf of our veterans led to his being named Honorary Chairman at the 40th Anniversary at the NAM-POW's Homecoming Celebration at the Richard M. Nixon Presidential Library in 2014. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Eisenhower Foundation as well as Honorary Chairman of Snowball Express, an organization that serves the children of our fallen military heroes. Tony also hosts the Congressional Medal of Honor dinner every year in Dallas to honor our Medal of Honor recipients. He has also served as the Master of Ceremonies at the Secretary of Defense Freedom Awards at the Pentagon. Few entertainers have excelled in so many realms as Tony has: a top selling recording artist, songwriter, concert headliner, network television star, Motion Picture actor, Broadway performer and author. Tony was also GM and Vice President of CBS-Music Division April-Blackwood Music from 1966-1970. He represented such songwriters as James Taylor, Laura Nyro, Blood Sweat and Tears and signed and produced Barry Manilow's first recording while working for the legendary Clive Davis. Grammy Nominee Tony Orlando has sold millions of records, including five number one hits: "Tie A Yellow Ribbon 'Round The Ole Oak Tree," "Knock Three Times," "Candida," "My Sweet Gypsy Rose" and "He Don't Love You (Like I Love You)." "Tie A Yellow Ribbon" was the number one Billboard Song of 1973 and became Orlando's theme song, and grew into an American anthem of hope and homecoming, reunion and renewal. He has 2 Platinum albums, 3 Gold albums and 15 Top 40 Hits. Tony Orlando and Dawn rank among the Top 100 Billboard Magazine artists of all-time. The enormously popular Tony Orlando and Dawn television variety show ran for four seasons, from 1973 to 1977, on CBS. The show catapulted Tony Orlando and Dawn from popular recording artists into major stars. Tony Orlando and Dawn was the first multi-racial singing group to star in a network television series. Tony is still one of the most popular live concerts artists, and has headlined around the world and entertained for five US Presidents. Like a painter, Tony is an artist who steps onto a stage as if it were a blank canvas. Each show he weaves colorful emotions set to music touching the deepest part of a person's heart. A 2016 review says it best, "The truth is: Tony Orlando is more than a singer. He has the ability to reach an audience, touch us inside, and connect with us on a higher level with his voice, style, and values." Tony is a recipient of three American Music Awards and two People's Choice Awards for best male entertainer. For outstanding achievements to the entertainment industry Tony was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Orlando has a wife Francine, a daughter Jenny and a son Jon. Thomas B. Linquist Your host Thomas B. Linquist is the Founder and Managing Partner of Lyceum Leadership Consulting and Lyceum Leadership Productions. Over his 16 years in management and leadership consulting he has served a wide array of industrial clients. This includes leadership assessment and search for chief executive officers, chief financial officers, chief operating officers and boards of directors. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and over his 27-year career has served in a variety of roles: as an engineer with Shell Oil Company, a banker with ABN AMRO Bank, and as treasurer was the youngest corporate officer in the 150+ year history at Peoples Energy Company in Chicago. He is an expert on hiring and promotion decisions and leadership development. Over the course of his search career, he has interviewed thousands of leaders. Please subscribe to the Leadership Lyceum in the podcast section at iTunes which will enable future content to come to you automatically. Rate us and spread the word among your fellow executives and board colleagues. Subscribe to the podcast at iTunes: https://t.co/a70rtSiQnW or SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/thomas-linquist Follow Leadership Lyceum on: Our website: www.LeadershipLyceum.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-linquist-682997 Twitter: @LeaderLyceum https://twitter.com/LeaderLyceum Email us: info@LeadershipLyceum.com Please subscribe to the Leadership Lyceum at iTunes which will enable future content to come to you automatically. Rate us and spread the word among your fellow executives and board colleagues. Your host Thomas B. Linquist is the Founder and Managing Partner of Lyceum Leadership Consulting and Lyceum Leadership Productions. Over his 16 years in management and leadership consulting he has served a wide array of industrial clients. This includes leadership assessment and search for chief executive officers, chief financial officers, chief operating officers and boards of directors. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and over his 27-year career has served in a variety of roles: as an engineer with Shell Oil Company, a banker with ABN AMRO Bank, and as treasurer was the youngest corporate officer in the 150+ year history at Peoples Energy Company in Chicago. He is an expert on hiring and promotion decisions and leadership development. Over the course of his search career, he has interviewed thousands of leaders. Please subscribe to the Leadership Lyceum in the podcast section at iTunes which will enable future content to come to you automatically. Rate us and spread the word among your fellow executives and board colleagues. Program Disclaimer The only purpose of the podcasts is to educate, inform and entertain. The information shared is based on the collection of experiences of each of the guests interviewed and should not be considered or substituted for professional advice. Guests who speak in this podcast express their own opinions, experience and conclusions, and neither The Leadership Lyceum LLC nor any company providing financial support endorses or opposes any particular content, recommendation or methodology discussed in this podcast. This podcast Leadership Lyceum: A CEO's Virtual Mentor has been a production of The Leadership Lyceum LLC. Copyright 2018. All rights reserved. | — | ||||||
| 4/24/18 | ![]() "Earth Day Episode" with Ralph Cavanagh, Natural Resources Defense Council | Welcome to Episode 15. This is The Leadership Lyceum's special Earth Day 2018 episode of A CEO's Virtual Mentor on Climate Change and Clean Energy. We are pleased to present an interview with Ralph Cavanagh, Co-Director of the Energy Program at the Natural Resources Defense Council from October 23, 2017. We honor Earth Day by bringing in a much deeper perspective than is typically seen by the environmentally-conscious consumer. We look deeply at the prospects for clean energy on a massive scale in the western region of the US through the lens of the NRDC, the remarkable development of energy efficiency as a resource, and the exciting prospects for clean energy integration across the west through electricity grid regionalization in the western electric transmission grid. The Natural Resources Defense Council or NRDC is an NGO with really a superhero's mission of working to safeguard the earth, its people, its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends. This is a tall order, requiring courageous, charismatic, and competent policy-oriented leaders of influence to carry out the mission. Ralph Cavanagh joined the NRDC in 1979 and has focused on removing barriers to cost effective energy efficiency, and on the role that electric and gas utilities can play in leading a clean energy transition. Ralph has taught energy law and policy at Harvard Law School, Stanford Law School, U.C. Berkeley Law School, and at the University of Idaho. Ralph serves on several boards. The Bipartisan Policy Center, The Northwest Energy Coalition, Renewable Northwest, The Center for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Technologies. Ralph chairs the advisory board of the U.C. Davis Energy Efficiency Center. He's a graduate of Yale University, and Yale Law School. Program Guide for Episode 15 "The Earth Day Episode" 0:33 Introduction to Episode 15 Part One 2:00 Introduction to the NRDC Mission 4:37 Energy Efficiency 8:15 Integrated Strategies for Energy Efficiency Part Two 16:27 Western Electric Grid Integration 34:28 End of Episode Informative and Helpful Links The Natural Resources Defense Council - https://www.nrdc.org/ Email us: info@LeadershipLyceum.com Please subscribe to the Leadership Lyceum: A CEO's Virtual Mentor® at iTunes which will enable future content to come to you automatically. Rate us and spread the word among your fellow executives and board colleagues. Your host Thomas B. Linquist is the Founder and Managing Partner of Lyceum Leadership Consulting and Lyceum Leadership Productions. Over his 15 years in management and leadership consulting he has served a wide array of industrial clients. This includes leadership assessment and search for chief executive officers, chief financial officers, chief operating officers and boards of directors. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and over his 25-year career has served in a variety of roles: as an engineer with Shell Oil Company, a banker with ABN AMRO Bank, and as treasurer was the youngest corporate officer in the 150+ year history at Peoples Energy Company in Chicago. He is an expert on hiring and promotion decisions and leadership development. Over the course of his search career, he has interviewed thousands of leaders. Please subscribe to the Leadership Lyceum: A CEO's Virtual Mentor® in the podcast section at iTunes which will enable future content to come to you automatically. Rate us and spread the word among your fellow executives and board colleagues. Program Disclaimer The only purpose of the podcast is to educate, inform and entertain. The information shared is based on the collection of experiences of each of the guests interviewed and should not be considered or substituted for professional advice. Guests who speak in this podcast express their own opinions, experience and conclusions, and neither The Leadership Lyceum LLC nor any company providing financial support endorses or opposes any particular content, recommendation or methodology discussed in this podcast. This podcast Leadership Lyceum: A CEO's Virtual Mentor® has been a production of The Leadership Lyceum LLC. Copyright 2018. All rights reserved. | — | ||||||
| 12/16/17 | ![]() The Philanthropy Episode - A Holiday Double Feature | The Philanthropy Episode – A Holiday Double Feature A CEO's Virtual Mentor® Episode 14 Holiday greetings from The Leadership Lyceum! Welcome to our 14th episode of the podcast. 'Tis the season of giving and we give you our holiday gift in the form of this holiday special double episode on Philanthropy. We'll cover the subject from a few different angles. First. from the perspective of the giver – with our first guest, University of Chicago benefactor Bernard DelGiorno. Bernie also advises his clients on charitable giving in his role in private wealth management at UBS. Next, from the angle of the recipient. We'll glean the perspectives of Jennifer Sampson, CEO of The United Way of Metropolitan Dallas. Jennifer led a remarkable turnaround in Dallas and has led the development of programs that fund impactful and innovative social entrepreneurship. Finally, we introduce you to a group of public company CEO's in Ohio that are leveraging their musical talents to raise money for charities in Ohio. Two of the CEOs that we feature have the ultra-cool distinction of being board members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. We feature the music of the CEO band, Power Chords throughout the music interludes in the program. Segment I: Bernard DelGiorno, University of Chicago benefactor Segment II: Jennifer Sampson, CEO of the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas Segment III: The Ohio CEO band for charity - The Power Chords. Perhaps it is not widely known that there is a group of several CEOs in Ohio have given their musical talent and time to charitable fundraising events. One band that raises money for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame includes three of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame board members: Drums: Nick Akins, CEO of utility AEP in Columbus; Guitars, vocals and keyboards: George Barrett, CEO of Cardinal Health; Guitars: Dr. Michael Drake, President of The Ohio State University and; Bass: Greg Harris, President of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Another band, The Power Chords, includes Akins and Barrett, plus multi-instrument virtuoso and vocalist Joe Hamrock, the CEO of utility NiSource. Segment III is my coverage of The Power Chords at their Thursday, September 28th evening gig fundraiser for the Mid-Ohio Foodbank in Grove City, Ohio, outside Columbus. Conclusion We hope you enjoyed this holiday season episode of A CEO's Virtual Mentor and the fitting subject of Philanthropy from its many different angles. It's clear across all of these segments the devotion of our guests to something larger than themselves. Famous Last Words We close our episode in Lyceum tradition with Famous Last Words. It's December 24, 1941. Christmas Eve. Just 17 days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. President Franklin D. Roosevelt lights the White House Christmas tree and is joined in this, his 9th ceremonial act (pre-presidential term-limits) by Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who was in Washington for the Arcadia Conference, the first wartime conference between these two close allies since the US entrance into World War II just 16 days prior on December 8th. Try as I might to edit this down for our 21st Century attention spans and our improved discourse efficiency at between 140 to 280 characters, with the fate of the world hanging in the balance, I lacked the courage to cut. Use a bookmark, because it's well worth a listen. On this day, 76 years ago, two of the 20th century's most monumental figures took the stage with two purposes. On the surface, they took to the microphone to announce the lighting of a tree. But in their soaring speeches, they made clear the principles for which they had now committed both of their nations. The overtones and undertones are thought-provoking and revealing for our current state of sensibility. Warm wishes for the holidays and for your resolve for the New Year. Thanks for joining us. We can't improve without your feedback – write us through our website www.LeadershipLyceum.com and subscribe on iTunes. See you next time. Program Guide Episode 14 The Philanthropy Episode 0:19 Introduction 0:29 Introduction to specific programming in this Episode 14 2:38 Segment I: Bernard DelGiorno, University of Chicago Benefactor 23:05 Segment II: Jennifer Sampson, CEO of The United Way of Metropolitan Dallas 53:20 Segment III: The Power Chords, Benefit Concert 54:18 Nick Akins CEO of AEP 57:19 Matt Habash, CEO of Mid-Ohio Foodbank 1:04:26 Nick Akins CEO of AEP 1:08:03 George Barrett, CEO of Cardinal Health 1:12:12 Joe Hamrock CEO of NiSource 1:13:04 Nick Akins CEO of AEP & Joe Hamrock CEO of NiSource 1:22:42 Conclusion and Famous Last Words with Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill (Christmas 1941). Informative and Helpful Links Our Sponsor – TransparentCareer https://www.transparentcareer.com Board Game: Tesla vs Edison War of Currents To ensure pre-Christmas arrival, order your game now through Amazon at www.artana.com/store Segment I – The Benefactor – Mr. Bernard DelGiorno Article on University of Chicago Alumni Service Medal Award Recipient: http://www.kintera.org/site/c.fnKDIQNsEkG/b.5179039/k.9C22/Bernard_DelGiorno.htm Segment II – The Recipient – Jennifer Sampson, CEO of the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas https://unitedwaydallas.org/ Segment III – Giving Charitable Talents – Ohio's Rock and Roll CEOs The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame CEO Band: http://www.shadowboxlive.org/shows/are-you-ready-to-rock The Power Chords: https://aepretirees.com/2012/10/08/harvest-palooza-raises-50000-to-fight-hunger/ Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: https://www.rockhall.com Famous Last Words Historical Background on the Darkest Days of World War II – 17 days after Pearl Harbor – FDR and Churchill Together in Washington Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/darkest-days-world-war-ii-winston-churchills-visit-white-house-brought-hope-washington-180961798/ The Full Audio of FDR and Churchill's Speeches on December 24th 1941 Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony in Washington https://archive.org/details/PresidentFranklinRoosevelt411224WhiteHouseChristmasTreeCeremony Biographies of Guests Mr. Bernard DelGiorno Donor profile from the University of Chicago Alumni & Friends online community: http://www.kintera.org/site/c.fnKDIQNsEkG/b.5179039/k.9C22/Bernard_DelGiorno.htm Ms. Jennifer Sampson Ms. Jennifer Sampson has been Chief Executive Officer and President of United Way of Metropolitan Dallas since September 13, 2011. Ms. Sampson served as an Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at United Way of Metropolitan Dallas Inc. since 2004. Ms. Sampson serves as a Member of Customer Advisory Board at Atmos Energy Corp. Mr. Nick Akins Nick Akins is chairman, president and chief executive officer of American Electric Power. He is AEP's 11th chairman, 10th president and sixth CEO in the company's more than 100-year history. He is a member of AEP's board of directors and is the only management representative on the board. Akins rose through the ranks at both AEP and the former Central and South West Corp. (CSW), which merged with AEP in 2000. Akins began his career in 1982 as an electrical engineer before moving up to positions of increasing responsibility. Prior to being elected president of AEP in December 2010, he served as executive vice president - Generation from 2006 through 2010 with responsibility for all generation activities of AEP's approximately 38,000 MW of generation resources. Previously, he served as president and chief operating officer for Southwestern Electric Power Company, and held other leadership roles in Energy Marketing Services, Transmission, External Affairs and Industry Restructuring. A native of Louisiana, Akins received his bachelor's degree in 1982 in electric engineering from Louisiana Tech University in Ruston and a master's degree in electrical engineering in 1986 from Louisiana Tech. Additional training includes executive management programs at Louisiana State University, the University of Idaho and the Reactor Technology Course for Utility Executives at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is a registered professional engineer in Texas. Akins is a former chairman of the Board of Directors of both the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), and currently serves on both boards. He is a member of the Executive Committee of the Business Roundtable (BRT) and was appointed chair of the BRT's Energy and Environment Committee. Additionally, he is a member of the boards of the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), Global Sustainable Electricity Partnership (GSEP), The Columbus Partnership, Columbus Downtown Development Corporation, Nuclear Electric Insurance Limited (NEIL), Fifth Third Bancorp, OhioHealth and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. Akins and his wife, Donna, live in Dublin, Ohio. They have two adult sons. Matt Habash, CEO of Mid-Ohio Foodbank Matt Habash became executive director of Mid-Ohio Foodbank in 1984. Prior to that, Matt was with the St. Stephen's Community House, first as a youth worker and then as the assistant to the executive director. Matt also was a member of Columbus City Council from 1993 to 2006, serving as Council President from 1999 to 2006. As Council President, Matt governed with civility and humanity. Co-Chair with Columbus Mayor Michael B. Coleman, Matt led the 21st Century Growth initiative, a plan designed to balance job creation with sustainable neighborhood development. Other efforts spearheaded by Matt in his role as Council President was the 315 Research Corridor, the City's Indoor Clean Air Act and the City's Bike Path Plan. He holds a Masters of Business Administration from Xavier University, a Masters of Public Policy from The Ohio State University, and a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy from Xavier University. Matt takes an active leadership role in the community, having served on numerous boards and has received numerous awards, recognizing his commitment and work in serving those most vulnerable. Mr. Joe Hamrock Joe Hamrock serves as NiSource President and Chief Executive Officer. He has been in this role since July 1, 2015, and is also a member of the NiSource Board of Directors. Joe previously served as Executive Vice President and Group CEO for NiSource's Gas Distribution segment, which included local gas distribution companies in Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia. In that role, he was responsible for all financial, operational, regulatory and commercial performance at NiSource's gas distribution operations. In coordination with leadership teams across each of these areas, he focused on driving the company's long-term growth plan, premised on executing a steady stream of infrastructure improvements and growth investments, synchronized with complementary regulatory and customer program initiatives. Joe joined NiSource in May 2012 after serving in a variety of senior executive positions with American Electric Power (AEP), including President and Chief Operating Officer of AEP Ohio, and roles in engineering, transmission and distribution operations, customer service, marketing and information technology. He began his energy industry career as an electrical engineer in transmission and distribution planning at AEP in Steubenville, Ohio. He went on to work in commercial and industrial customer services, and held leadership roles in commercial marketing and customer services, strategic development and other executive roles. Prior to becoming President of AEP Ohio, Joe was Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer in AEP's Shared Services organization from 2003-2007, and from 2002 to 2003 was Senior Vice President - General Services. Joe serves on the boards of the American Gas Association, Columbus Downtown Development Corp., the Columbus Partnership, the Greater Columbus Sports Commission and OhioHealth. He holds a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Youngstown State University and a master's degree in business administration from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he was a Sloan fellow. Mr. George Barrett George S. Barrett is chairman and chief executive officer of Cardinal Health, a company ranked among the top 25 on the Fortune 500 and dedicated to improving the cost-effectiveness of health care. Barrett has refocused Cardinal Health on its essential role in supporting hospitals, pharmacies and alternative sites of care in their efforts to improve the quality and safety of patient care, while reducing costs and improving efficiency. The tagline – Essential to care – embodies the company's strategy and the culture of the organization. Barrett has been chairman and CEO of Cardinal Health since 2009. He joined the company in 2008 as vice chairman and CEO of the company's Healthcare Supply Chain Services. From 2005 to end-2007, Barrett served as president and CEO of North America for Teva Pharmaceutical Industries. During 2007, he also served as corporate executive vice president for Global Pharmaceutical Markets. He held the position of president of Teva USA from 1999 to end-2004. Prior to joining Teva, Barrett held various positions with Alpharma Inc., serving as president of US Pharmaceuticals from 1994 to 1997, and president of NMC Laboratories, prior to its acquisition by Alpharma in 1990. Barrett serves on the board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, Nationwide Children's Hospital and the board of trustees of the Corporation of Brown University. He is a member of the Healthcare Leadership Council and The Conference Board. He is also a member of the Business Roundtable, The Business Council and The Columbus Partnership. Barrett also serves on the board of directors of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Barrett earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Brown University and a Master of Business Administration from New York University. He also holds an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Long Island University's Arnold & Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. Subscribe to the podcast at iTunes: https://t.co/a70rtSiQnW or SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/thomas-linquist Follow Leadership Lyceum on: Our website: www.LeadershipLyceum.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-linquist-682997 Twitter: @LeaderLyceum https://twitter.com/LeaderLyceum Email us: info@LeadershipLyceum.com Please subscribe to the Leadership Lyceum: A CEO's Virtual Mentor® at iTunes which will enable future content to come to you automatically. Rate us and spread the word among your fellow executives and board colleagues. Your host Thomas B. Linquist is the Founder and Managing Partner of Lyceum Leadership Consulting and Lyceum Leadership Productions. Over his 15 years in management and leadership consulting he has served a wide array of industrial clients. This includes leadership assessment and search for chief executive officers, chief financial officers, chief operating officers and boards of directors. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and over his 25-year career has served in a variety of roles: as an engineer with Shell Oil Company, a banker with ABN AMRO Bank, and as treasurer was the youngest corporate officer in the 150+ year history at Peoples Energy Company in Chicago. He is an expert on hiring and promotion decisions and leadership development. Over the course of his search career, he has interviewed thousands of leaders. Please subscribe to the Leadership Lyceum: A CEO's Virtual Mentor® in the podcast section at iTunes which will enable future content to come to you automatically. Rate us and spread the word among your fellow executives and board colleagues. Program Disclaimer The only purpose of the podcast is to educate, inform and entertain. The information shared is based on the collection of experiences of each of the guests interviewed and should not be considered or substituted for professional advice. Guests who speak in this podcast express their own opinions, experience and conclusions, and neither The Leadership Lyceum LLC nor any company providing financial support endorses or opposes any particular content, recommendation or methodology discussed in this podcast. This podcast Leadership Lyceum: A CEO's Virtual Mentor® has been a production of The Leadership Lyceum LLC. Copyright 2017. All rights reserved. | — | ||||||
| 10/30/17 | ![]() The Big Shareholder Activism Episode – The Escalation Path | A CEO's Virtual Mentor Episode 13 The Big Shareholder Activism Episode – The Escalation Path Implications and Advice for Corporate Governance and CEO Leadership Our guests in a panel format include: Chris Young, Managing Director and Head of the Contested Situations Group, Credit Suisse Paul Toback, Former President, CEO and Chairman of Bally Total Fitness Marjorie Bowen, Retired Managing Partner of Houlihan Lokey and highly experienced public and private company director with an extensive list of directorships in which she was occasionally the activists' board nominee. Corporate governance expert and independent director of publicly-traded companies, Tanuja Dehne. Our past two episodes have included segments on shareholder activism provided by our guest Chris Young from Credit Suisse. Episode 11 included an historical look at the development and mainstreaming of shareholder activism as an asset class and the institutionalization of corporate governance through firms like ISS and Glass Lewis. Episode 12 looked at the Vulnerability Framework and what brings companies into the attention of the activists. We mentioned in a prior episode that a Wall Street Journal article had concluded that shareholder activism, which has been a perennial nuisance for chief executives, was now becoming an existential threat. So, what is it like to be in the crosshairs of the activist and what should you do about it? This Episode 13 is our big shareholder activism episode. We take you step by step down the escalation path through 8 phases – including The Letter through the Proxy Contest. Chris Young from Credit Suisse will provide the steps and the pathway. Governance expert Tanuja Dehne will provide some governance and management considerations along the way. Paul Toback will discuss his firsthand experience of being CEO at Bally Total Fitness and in the crosshairs at points along the path. Highly-experienced, independent director, Marjorie Bowen, will provide context as an activist's board nominee in the setting of activism and also provide governance and management advice for these situations. It's with great pleasure that we announce that Tanuja Dehne has joined our team at Lyceum Leadership Consulting. She brings her expertise to our board effectiveness and executive team effectiveness service offerings. Warm thanks to our guests Paul Toback, Tanuja Dehne, Marjorie Bowen and Chris Young. And special thank you to our sponsor TransparentCareer. For those footnote readers, as always, please see the back of our album cover. For those interested, the rise and fall of Bally Total Fitness are covered in two cases at Harvard Business School by Strategy Professor John R. Wells. Please follow our links to the cases on the HBS website. All previous episodes are available on iTunes. Please tune in to our next big episode on Philanthropy. We'll cover the subject from many different angles. From the perspective of the giver – with University of Chicago benefactor Bernard DelGiorno. Bernie also advises clients on the subject in his role in private wealth management at UBS. From the angle of the recipient. We will glean the perspectives of Jennifer Sampson, CEO of The United Way of Metropolitan Dallas. Jennifer led a turnaround in Dallas and has led the development of programs that fund impactful social entrepreneurship. We will also introduce you to a group of public company CEO's in Ohio that are leveraging their musical talents to raise money for charities in Ohio. Two of these CEOs are board members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Thanks for joining us. We can't improve without your feedback – write us through our website www.LeadershipLyceum.com and subscribe on iTunes. Program Guide - Episode 13 The Big Shareholder Activism Episode – The Escalation Path Implications and Advice for Corporate Governance and CEO Leadership 0:35 Introduction 0:52 Introduction to specific programming in this Episode 13 3:46 Chapter 1: The Position 19:19 Chapter 2: The Letter 28:37 Chapter 3: The Meetings 34:37 Chapter 4: Making it Public 37:21 Chapter 5: The Compromise 42:20 Chapter 6: The Proxy Contest 47:17 Chapter 7: After the Proxy Contest 52:47 Chapter 8: The Advice 1:07:45 Final Credits 1:08:18 Episode 14 Preview Informative and Helpful Links Our Sponsor – TransparentCareer https://www.transparentcareer.com The Lyceum's Well-Tuned Governance Model https://www.leadershiplyceum.com/lyceum-board-effectiveness The Forgotten Beatle - Jimmy Nicol Photo - https://cdn.theatlantic.com/assets/media/img/photo/2014/05/1964-beatlemania/b33_06151156/main_900.jpg?1420504210 Story - http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/entertainment/meet-jimmy-nicol-the-forgotten-beatle-standin-drummer-for-ringo/news-story/0f79dd8eda8adc579d3c35c6bfb32f1f Bally Total Fitness and the Harvard Business School Case Study Collection Harvard Business School Professor John R. Wells [Wells' bio] teaches the Bally Total Fitness case in his strategy course. His two cases on Bally cover the rise and fall of Bally Total Fitness, respectively. For access to abstracts on the case please find the links here: Bally Total Fitness (A): The Rise, 1962–2004 and Bally Total Fitness (B): The Fall, 2005–2016 Bally Total Fitness (B): The Fall, 2005–2016 Scott Joplin: https://www.scottjoplin.org/ Biographies of Guests Ms. Marjorie Bowen Marjorie Bowen has served as an independent director for twelve public and private companies. She has significant experience with corporate activism from both the activist shareholder as well as the incumbent board perspective. As an activist appointed nominee, Ms. Bowen participated in a highly contested proxy contest, was endorsed by RiskMetrics and Proxy Governance, and was elected with 80 percent of the vote. She also has been appointed as a director as a result of activist and board negotiations. Conversely, Ms. Bowen has served as a director when an activist shareholder agitated for significant change, and in response she assumed a leadership role in developing and implementing solutions to maximize value for all shareholders. Ms. Bowen's directorships often involve complicated situations, operationally and/or financially challenged companies, including those needing to implement significant strategic and/or operational changes, turnarounds, and distressed companies both in and out of bankruptcy, across many industries. Ms. Bowen's directorships follow a nearly 20-year career in investment banking at Houlihan Lokey, advising boards of public companies on transactional, strategic and other shareholder matters, serving as a member of the firm's senior management team, heading the industry leading fairness opinion practice, and providing leadership as the most senior woman at the firm. She is a qualified NYSE and NASDAQ financial expert, and is well versed in corporate governance matters. Mr. Paul Toback Paul is a seasoned Senior Executive, Attorney, Founder, Entrepreneur, and Consultant with 30 years of success in health, fitness, technology, and government. Leveraging extensive experience in new business development and strategic planning, he is a valuable asset for service companies looking for growth, team development, and brand building. His broad areas of expertise include public company leadership development; financial engineering and restructuring; mergers and acquisitions (M&A); startup, transition, turnaround, transformation; top-talent recruitment; cost reduction and revenue generation; finance and scaling; and legal, international, and franchising. Throughout his executive career, Paul has held leadership positions at Sproing Sport (Founder and CEO); Sproing Fitness LLC (Founder and CEO); Telegraph Consulting; Bally Total Fitness; The White House; and The City of Chicago. He has been responsible for securing a patent for new-generation high-intensity interval training (HIIT) fitness equipment, establishing fully-integrated manufacturing and global distribution, and opening domestic licensed brand fitness studios. As senior executive and C Suite Officer for the then-largest nationwide fitness center brand, Paul generated a record 22% increase of $1.1B net revenue in 4 years, resulting in $5.6MM net income in fourth year, reversing a $91MM loss. Separately, he increased cash flow $70 million annually by reducing expenses and capital spending for a company; and refinanced $500MM of corporate debt, including senior notes, term loan, and revolving credit, positively impacting nearly 70% of the company's total debt. Paul secured a B.A. with Distinction in Political Science from Stanford University, graduating in 3 years. He earned a Juris Doctorate (J.D.) in Law from University of Chicago Law School. As a proficient executive, he has served on several boards, including with Bally Total Fitness, and the National Women's History Museum. Mr. Chris Young Chris Young has been Managing Director and Head of the Takeover Defense Practice at Credit Suisse AG and Credit Suisse Group since June 1, 2010. Until May 2010, Mr. Young served as the Director of M&A and Proxy Fight at Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS). While at ISS, Mr. Young was responsible for analyzing contentious M&A transactions, proxy fights and corporate governance issues and providing proxy voting and tender offer recommendations for ISS institutional investor clients. Mr. Young also helped to facilitate a constructive dialogue between ISS institutional investor clients and senior executives and directors of public companies in the US and Europe. Mr. Young is regarded as a leading authority on contested M&A transactions and shareholder activism. Prior to ISS, Mr. Young was a member of the investment banking group at Bear Stearns and the M&A group at Sullivan & Cromwell. Mr. Young is a CFA charter holder, received his JD, magna cum laude, from Boston University and his BS from Georgetown University. Ms. Tanuja Dehne Tanuja Dehne is Senior Governance Advisor for Lyceum Leadership Consulting [Tanuja's Bio] and a public company director and former C-level executive of NRG Energy, Inc., a Fortune 250 power company. Tanuja brings perspective and experience from her cross-disciplinary roles to the C-suite and board room. She is a purpose-driven leader, cultivator of talent and proven strategist. She is an award winning corporate attorney, human resources professional and community volunteer who thrives when making a positive difference in the lives of others. During her tenure at NRG Energy, Inc., Tanuja had increasingly expansive roles: initially the company's securities and finance lawyer, then Corporate Secretary and lead M&A attorney, before becoming the head of Human Resources. Ultimately, in her role as EVP, Chief Administrative Officer and Chief of Staff, she oversaw the company's Human Resources, Information Technology, Communications, Marketing and Sustainability departments, the company's charitable giving program, M&A integrations, as well as the construction of NRG's sustainable corporate headquarters in Princeton, New Jersey. Tanuja also served as a sponsor, coach and "internal angel investor" of interdisciplinary innovation teams, including the team that created the "Path to Luma," an environmentally conscious puzzle game launched in August 2015 with record breaking downloads in the Apple and Google stores. Tanuja is a director of Advanced Disposal Services (NYSE: ADSW) and Silver Bay Realty Trust Corp. (NYSE: SBY), and Board Trustee of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, HomeFront of New Jersey and Young Audiences New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania. She is a frequent speaker on topics including leadership, corporate governance, and the intersection of the law and human resources. She received a B.A. from Lafayette College, Master's in Political Science from the University of Pennsylvania, and Juris Doctor from Syracuse University College of Law. Subscribe to the podcast at iTunes: https://t.co/a70rtSiQnW or SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/thomas-linquist Follow Leadership Lyceum on: Our website: www.LeadershipLyceum.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-linquist-682997 Twitter: @LeaderLyceum https://twitter.com/LeaderLyceum Email us: info@LeadershipLyceum.com Your host Thomas B. Linquist is the Founder and Managing Partner of Lyceum Leadership Consulting and Lyceum Leadership Productions. Over his 15 years in management and leadership consulting he has served a wide array of industrial clients. This includes leadership assessment and search for chief executive officers, chief financial officers, chief operating officers and boards of directors. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and over his 25-year career has served in a variety of roles: as an engineer with Shell Oil Company, a banker with ABN AMRO Bank, and as treasurer was the youngest corporate officer in the 150+ year history at Peoples Energy Company in Chicago. He is an expert on hiring and promotion decisions and leadership development. Over the course of his search career, he has interviewed thousands of leaders. Please subscribe to the Leadership Lyceum in the podcast section at iTunes which will enable future content to come to you automatically. Rate us and spread the word among your fellow executives and board colleagues. Program Disclaimer The only purpose of the podcasts is to educate, inform and entertain. The information shared is based on the collection of experiences of each of the guests interviewed and should not be considered or substituted for professional advice. Guests who speak in this podcast express their own opinions, experience and conclusions, and neither The Leadership Lyceum LLC nor any company providing financial support endorses or opposes any particular content, recommendation or methodology discussed in this podcast. This podcast Leadership Lyceum: A CEO's Virtual Mentor has been a production of The Leadership Lyceum LLC. Copyright 2017. All rights reserved. | — | ||||||
| 9/4/17 | ![]() Shareholder Activism; Board Governance & Effectiveness; and Conversation with WEC Energy CEO, Allen Leverett | A CEO's Virtual Mentor Episode 12 Shareholder Activism – The Vulnerability Framework; Board Governance & Effectiveness; and a Conversation with WEC Energy Group CEO Allen Leverett Guests include: Chris Young, Managing Director and Head of the Contested Situations Group, Credit Suisse Allen Leverett, President and CEO of WEC Energy Tanuja Dehne, Corporate governance expert and independent director of publicly-traded companies. If you haven't joined us in a while, you may have missed the announcement that we formed two companies under Leadership Lyceum's brand: Lyceum Leadership Consulting which provides executive and board of director's search, board effectiveness review, and an array of services for successor development and board-readiness. And Lyceum Leadership Productions which brings you this podcast. Segment I - a continuation of our discussion on Shareholder Activism with Chris Young from Credit Suisse. We will cover what Chris describes as The Vulnerability Framework. We will discuss the conditions that make a company particularly vulnerable to activism. Segment II - a conversation with Allen Leverett, President CEO of WEC Energy Group in Milwaukee. We will discuss how WEC has reshaped itself through M&A over the last 10 years into a vastly different company that serves 4.4 million customers across 4 states in the upper Midwest. Segment III - a continuation of our discussion with Tanuja Dehne on impediments to boardroom effectiveness. Famous Last Words - In our last episode, Episode 11, we introduced a spot called Famous Last Words. We intersperse excerpts from MGM's 1954 movie Executive Suite starring William Holden, Barbara Stanwyck, and Fredric March. For you utility enthusiasts, it also stars the PPL Building (Pennsylvania Power & Light) in Allentown, Pennsylvania as the exterior of the Tredway Corporation. The plot backdrop -- Avery Bullard, President of the Tredway Corporation has died. But he never named a clear successor, so the Board members must choose. The most likely candidate is Loren Shaw, a skilled businessman with a high degree of financial acumen. Their intense and consequential boardroom discussion will weave through our episode. Thanks for joining us. We can't improve without your feedback – write us through our website www.LeadershipLyceum.com and subscribe on iTunes. See you next time. Informative and Helpful Links The Lyceum's Well-Tuned Governance Model https://www.leadershiplyceum.com/lyceum-board-effectiveness Program Guide Episode 12 Shareholder Activism – The Vulnerability Framework; Board Governance & Effectiveness; and Conversation with Wisconsin Energy CEO Allen Leverett 0:30 Introduction to Lyceum's brands and the podcast Episode 12 1:44 Introduction of Famous Last Words spot – MGM's Executive Suite 3:47 Famous Last Words spot – MGM's Executive Suite plot summary 2:35 Famous Last Words – Executive Suite 1/5 3:22 Break 1 3:36 Introduction to Segment I – Shareholder Activism with guest Chris Young, Managing Director of Credit Suisse on The Vulnerability Framework 7:20 Famous Last Words – Executive Suite 2/5 8:28 Break 2 8:41 Segment I (cont.): Chris Young of Credit Suisse 15:26 Famous Last Words – Executive Suite 3/5 17:17 Break 3 17:32 Wrap up of Segment I on Shareholder Activism and preview of next month's Episode 13 with the final chapter in the series with Chris Young. 17:48 Introduction of Segment II: Interview with Allen Leverett, CEO of WEC Energy Group 27:28 Break 4 27:51 Segment II (cont.): Interview with Allen Leverett 41:30 End of Interview with Paul Bonavia 33:45 Break 5 34:06 Segment II (cont.): Interview with Allen Leverett 37:03 End of Interview with Allen Leverett 37:08 Famous Last Words – Executive Suite 4/5 38:22 Break 6 38:35 Introduction to Segment III – Corporate Governance and Board Effectiveness, a continuation of our discussion with Tanuja Dehne on impediments to boardroom effectiveness. 45:34 End of Segment III and preview of next month's Episode 13 with Tanuja Dehne 45:45 Conclusion of Famous Last Words with Executive Suite 5/5 Biographies of Guests Mr. Chris Young Chris Young has been Managing Director and Head of the Takeover Defense Practice at Credit Suisse AG and Credit Suisse Group since June 1, 2010. Until May 2010, Mr. Young served as the Director of M&A and Proxy Fight at Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS). While at ISS, Mr. Young was responsible for analyzing contentious M&A transactions, proxy fights and corporate governance issues and providing proxy voting and tender offer recommendations for ISS institutional investor clients. Mr. Young also helped to facilitate a constructive dialogue between ISS institutional investor clients and senior executives and directors of public companies in the US and Europe. Mr. Young is regarded as a leading authority on contested M&A transactions and shareholder activism. Prior to ISS, Mr. Young was a member of the investment banking group at Bear Stearns and the M&A group at Sullivan & Cromwell. Mr. Young is a CFA charter holder, received his JD, magna cum laude, from Boston University and his BS from Georgetown University. Mr. Allen Leverett Allen Leverett was named president of WEC Energy Group in June 2015 and chief executive officer in May 2016. He was appointed to the board of directors in January 2016. Leverett had served as president of Wisconsin Energy Corporation since August 2013, as well as president – Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota, with responsibility for business operations of the company's utilities in those states. Previously, Leverett served as president and chief executive officer of We Generation, the company's power generation group, since March 2011, with overall responsibility for the company's electric generation portfolio, fuel procurement, environmental compliance and renewable energy development strategy. He joined Wisconsin Energy in 2003 as chief financial officer. In May 2004, he was named executive vice president and chief financial officer of Wisconsin Energy and We Energies. Prior to joining the company, Leverett served as chief financial officer and executive vice president of Georgia Power in Atlanta, Georgia. Before that, he was vice president and treasurer of Southern Company Services, with overall responsibility for financial planning and analysis, capital markets and leasing, treasury and investor relations. Previously, he held a variety of positions in transmission planning, integrated resource planning, strategic planning, wholesale marketing and finance. Leverett earned his bachelor's degree, summa cum laude, in electrical engineering and mathematics from Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee. He also earned a master's degree in electrical engineering from Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, and a Master of Business Administration degree with a finance concentration from Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama. Leverett is a director of American Transmission Co., non-executive chairman of Church Mutual Insurance Co., and a member of the board of directors of the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and the Edison Electric Institute (EEI). Ms. Tanuja Dehne Tanuja Dehne is a public company director and former C-level executive of NRG Energy, Inc., a Fortune 250 power company. Tanuja brings perspective and experience from her cross-disciplinary roles to the C-suite and board room. She is a purpose-driven leader, cultivator of talent and proven strategist. She is an award winning corporate attorney, human resources professional and community volunteer who thrives when making a positive difference in the lives of others. During her tenure at NRG Energy, Inc., Tanuja had increasingly expansive roles: initially the company's securities and finance lawyer, then Corporate Secretary and lead M&A attorney, before becoming the head of Human Resources. Ultimately, in her role as EVP, Chief Administrative Officer and Chief of Staff, she oversaw the company's Human Resources, Information Technology, Communications, Marketing and Sustainability departments, the company's charitable giving program, M&A integrations, as well as the construction of NRG's sustainable corporate headquarters in Princeton, New Jersey. Tanuja also served as a sponsor, coach and "internal angel investor" of interdisciplinary innovation teams, including the team that created the "Path to Luma," an environmentally conscious puzzle game launched in August 2015 with record breaking downloads in the Apple and Google stores. Tanuja is a director of Advanced Disposal Services (NYSE: ADSW) and Granite Point Mortgage Trust, Inc. (NYSE: GPMT), and Board Trustee of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, HomeFront of New Jersey and Young Audiences New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania. She is a frequent speaker on topics including leadership, corporate governance, and the intersection of the law and human resources. She received a B.A. from Lafayette College, Master's in Political Science from the University of Pennsylvania, and Juris Doctor from Syracuse University College of Law. Ms. Dehne's Upcoming Speaking Engagements: September 14, 2017: ABA Annual Meeting of Business Law Section in Chicago: Driving Boardroom Diversity: An Inside Look at What's Important and What's Next October 2, 2017: NACD Annual Global Summit, National Harbor, MD: Compensation Board Committee Forum October 25, 2017: BSR Annual Conference 2017 - How Businesses Lead in Los Angeles: "Engaging Boards: Making a Case" - engaging boards on sustainability issues Host Mr. Thomas B. Linquist Your host Thomas B. Linquist is the Founder and Managing Partner of Lyceum Leadership Consulting and Lyceum Leadership Productions. Over his 15 years in management and leadership consulting he has served a wide array of industrial clients. This includes leadership assessment and search for chief executive officers, chief financial officers, chief operating officers and boards of directors. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and over his 25-year career has served in a variety of roles: as an engineer with Shell Oil Company, a banker with ABN AMRO Bank, and as treasurer was the youngest corporate officer in the 150+ year history at Peoples Energy Company in Chicago. He is an expert on hiring and promotion decisions and leadership development. Over the course of his search career, he has interviewed thousands of leaders. Please subscribe to the Leadership Lyceum in the podcast section at iTunes which will enable future content to come to you automatically. Rate us and spread the word among your fellow executives and board colleagues. Subscribe to the podcast at iTunes: https://t.co/a70rtSiQnW or SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/thomas-linquist Follow Leadership Lyceum on: Our website: www.LeadershipLyceum.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-linquist-682997 Twitter: @LeaderLyceum https://twitter.com/LeaderLyceum Email us: info@LeadershipLyceum.com Please subscribe to the Leadership Lyceum at iTunes which will enable future content to come to you automatically. Rate us and spread the word among your fellow executives and board colleagues. Program Disclaimer The only purpose of the podcasts is to educate, inform and entertain. The information shared is based on the collection of experiences of each of the guests interviewed and should not be considered or substituted for professional advice. Guests who speak in this podcast express their own opinions, experience and conclusions, and neither The Leadership Lyceum LLC nor any company providing financial support endorses or opposes any particular content, recommendation or methodology discussed in this podcast. This podcast Leadership Lyceum: A CEO's Virtual Mentor has been a production of The Leadership Lyceum LLC. Copyright 2017. All rights reserved. | — | ||||||
| 7/1/17 | ![]() Board Governance & Effectiveness, Shareholder Activism, and Utility Consolidation and M&A | A CEO's Virtual Mentor Episode 11 Board Governance & Effectiveness, Shareholder Activism, and Utility Industry Consolidation and M&A Guests include: Corporate governance expert, Tanuja Dehne Paul Bonavia, Retired Chairman and CEO of UNS Energy Chris Young, Managing Director and head of the Contested Situations Group, Credit Suisse If you did not join us for our last episode, Episode 10 which was a special podcast on Innovation, you may have missed the announcement that we formed two companies under Leadership Lyceum's brand: Lyceum Leadership Consulting which provides executive and board of director's search, board effectiveness review, and an array of services for successor development and board-readiness. And Lyceum Leadership Productions which brings you this podcast. We also announced that we would be expanding the programming of the episodes this summer. Well happy summer! This is the first of our expanded episodes. Welcome to Episode 11 which expands the programming into three segments. We will continue to bring you the in-depth CEO and Director interviews around compelling business situations as a main middle segment, Segment II. That main segment will be bookended over the next three Episodes with shorter Segments I and III. At least over the next three episodes, Segment I will cover Board and Corporate Governance Best Practices on one hand and Segment III will cover the consequences of deficiencies in corporate governance, namely shareholder activism, on the other. We hope you enjoy this expanded coverage which we will be refining over the next few episodes. So please subscribe through iTunes and give us feedback on the new programming. Tell us about leadership situations and subjects that you are interested in us exploring. Please visit our website www.LeadershipLyceum.com for all of our archived media and offerings. We will be right back to start the program. Welcome back to this newly expanded Episode 11 of the Leadership Lyceum: A CEO's Virtual Mentor. We welcome three fabulous guests to this Episode. Introduction to Episode 11 Program In Segment I the first of a series on Corporate Governance and Board Effectiveness, we welcome governance expert Tanuja Dehne. Tanuja serves on two public company boards and is a frequent speaker on board governance -- most recently she was part of the instructor panel for the NACD Advanced Director Professionalism program earlier this month. In Segment II we welcome Paul Bonavia, retired Chairman and CEO of UNS Energy (better known as Tucson Electric Power). We will explore the triggers and interconnected events that have led to remarkable levels of consolidation in the electric utility industry and Paul's leadership of the sale of UNS to Fortis in August 2014. In Segment III, the first of a series on Shareholder Activism, we will be joined by Chris Young, Managing Director and Head of the Contested Situations Group at Credit Suisse. In the first part of this series we will cover the history of activism and the market for corporate governance, growth in the asset class, and answer a fundamental question: what do activists want? We will be right back with Segment one with Tanuja Dehne on Corporate Governance and Board Effectiveness. Segment I: Governance & Board Matters "Corporate Governance and Board Effectiveness" I am delighted to be joined by Tanuja Dehne. Tanuja is a corporate governance expert and serves as an independent director on two NYSE-listed, company boards: Advanced Disposal Services, a $1.4 billion revenue environmental services company and newly IPO'd, Granite Point, a publicly-traded commercial mortgage REIT. She also dedicates her time to not-for-profit board service including the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, Young Audiences, HomeFront NJ, and Sustainable Jersey. That ends Segment I with Tanuja Dehne. Join us for our continuing conversation with Tanuja next month in Episode 12 --- we'll discuss derailers to effective boards and effective leadership styles in the boardroom. And shall I say it? Why not. As a self-promoting reminder, the Lyceum Leadership Consulting does provide third party, Board Effectiveness Review. Segment II: Main Feature Interview "Special Guest Paul Bonavia, Retired Chairman and CEO of UNS Energy" You may have read our article in the May 2017 issue of Public Utilities Fortnightly about our next guest - Paul Bonavia. By sheer coincidence, I wrote that article for Fortnightly on April 1 of 2017 in Chicago Illinois. Exactly ten years before that on April 1, 2007, the Illinois General Assembly passed a resolution designating April 1st as "Cheap Trick Day" in Illinois. I am giddy with delight to come as close as I can to a Rolling Stone reporter in featuring this conversation with drummer Paul Bonavia, who in his younger days was in bands with members that would go on to form Cheap Trick. While I'm sure some subset of our listenership is interested in Paul's pre-utility rock and roll lifestyle, this conversation was directed toward Paul's "alternative" lifestyle as a CEO of an investor-owned utility and the sale of the company he led --- to Fortis in August of 2014. Segment III: Special Subjects Segment "First of a Mini-Series on Shareholder Activism with Chris Young, Head of Contested Situations at Credit Suisse" Welcome to our final segment in this Episode on the dramatic, consternation-filled subject of shareholder activism. That's Orson Welles in his introduction to his panic-producing, 1938 radio masterpiece War of the Worlds. For the Lyceum, an allegorical backdrop of an environment well-suited to some "alien" form of activism perhaps? This is our mini-series on Shareholder Activism, and we are joined by Chris Young, Managing Director and Head of the Contested Situations Group at Credit Suisse. In this first part of this series we will cover the history of activism and the market for corporate governance, growth in the asset class, and answer a fundamental question: what do activists want? As a backdrop, The Wall Street Journal reported recently that shareholder activism, which has been a perennial nuisance for chief executives, is now becoming an existential threat. Activists are going beyond just settling for board seats and are waging campaigns that target changes in top management at the outset. So far in 2017, and this is going back a few weeks right now, but so far in 2017 activists have started nine campaigns targeting top management. This is the fastest pace on record according to FactSet. I have represented two clients this year from the power and utility industry on board searches in the face of shareholder activism. While two companies experiencing activism does not constitute a trend, my clients' experience of late certainly seemed to warrant raising awareness with our CEO's Virtual Mentor listenership by featuring this fascinating and informative conversation with Chris Young. As we were in production on this podcast, Daniel Loeb, founder of activist investor Third Point, demonstrated this activism genius by accumulating a small 1.25% stake in Nestle, published a letter on a Sunday and two days later, Nestle announced a $20.8 billion share buyback as well as clarifying other strategic objectives. Closing of Segment III That ends Segment III. We will continue this discussion with Chris Young in late July with Episode 12. We'll cover more on the "mainstreaming" of activism as an asset class and we will take apart the activist's playbook and take you step by step through the Escalation Path. Preview of Next Month's Episode 12 We will be back with Episode 12 at the end of July featuring more on corporate governance with Tanuja Dehne and activism with Chris Young and an interview with Allen Leverett, President and CEO of WEC Energy Group in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. WEC has been highly acquisitive over the last decade, Allen and I will discuss the company's significant growth that has led to a uniquely different collection of operating assets over that time period. Final Spot: Famous Last Words As we sign off we wrap with another new spot on our program called "Famous Last Words". In keeping with our War of the Worlds – Shareholder Activism allegory we will leave you to be restored to the real world in the good hands of, an out-of-character, Mr. Orson Welles. Thanks for joining us. We can't improve without your feedback – write us through our website www.LeadershipLyceum.com and subscribe on iTunes. See you next time. Informative and Helpful Links The Lyceum's Well-Tuned Governance Model https://www.leadershiplyceum.com/lyceum-board-effectiveness War of the Worlds Link to one the Lyceum's favorite websites – archive.org. Click below to listen directly to the chilling and timeless October 30, 1938 CBS airing of Orson Welles' The Mercury Theater on the Air adaptation of H.G. Wells' novel The War of the Worlds https://archive.org/details/OrsonWellesMrBruns Wiki links about the radio drama: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_War_of_the_Worlds_(radio_drama) Program Guide Episode 11 "Board Governance & Effectiveness, Shareholder Activism Mini Series, Utility Industry Consolidation and M&A with Paul Bonavia, Retired Chairman and CEO of UNS Energy" 0:30 Introduction to new programming of Episodes 2:12 Introduction to specific programming in this Episode 11 3:47 Segment I: Corporate Governance and Board Effectiveness with Tanuja Dehne 6:15 Break 6:40 Segment I (cont.): Why should boards care about measuring effectiveness as a board? 14:05 Wrap up of Segment I on governance and preview of next month's Episode 12 with Tanuja. 14:54 Introduction of Segment II: Interview with Paul Bonavia, Retired CEO of UNS Energy 16:13 Segment II: Interview with Paul Bonavia 33:06 Break 33:33 Segment II (cont.): Interview with Paul Bonavia 41:30 End of Interview with Paul Bonavia 41:53 Introduction to Segment III – Shareholder Activism and War of the Worlds allegory. 43:10 Segment III – Context for shareholder activism and introduction of guest Chris Young, Managing Director of Credit Suisse. 52:57 Break 53:20 Segment III (cont.): What do activists want? 56:30 End of Segment III and preview of next month's Episode 12 with Chris Young 57:21 Conclusion and Famous Last Words with Orson Welles. Biographies of Guests Ms. Tanuja Dehne Tanuja Dehne is a public company director and former C-level executive of NRG Energy, Inc., a Fortune 250 power company. Tanuja brings perspective and experience from her cross-disciplinary roles to the C-suite and board room. She is a purpose-driven leader, cultivator of talent and proven strategist. She is an award winning corporate attorney, human resources professional and community volunteer who thrives when making a positive difference in the lives of others. During her tenure at NRG Energy, Inc., Tanuja had increasingly expansive roles: initially the company's securities and finance lawyer, then Corporate Secretary and lead M&A attorney, before becoming the head of Human Resources. Ultimately, in her role as EVP, Chief Administrative Officer and Chief of Staff, she oversaw the company's Human Resources, Information Technology, Communications, Marketing and Sustainability departments, the company's charitable giving program, M&A integrations, as well as the construction of NRG's sustainable corporate headquarters in Princeton, New Jersey. Tanuja also served as a sponsor, coach and "internal angel investor" of interdisciplinary innovation teams, including the team that created the "Path to Luma," an environmentally conscious puzzle game launched in August 2015 with record breaking downloads in the Apple and Google stores. Tanuja is a director of Advanced Disposal Services (NYSE: ADSW) and Silver Bay Realty Trust Corp. (NYSE: SBY), and Board Trustee of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, HomeFront of New Jersey and Young Audiences New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania. She is a frequent speaker on topics including leadership, corporate governance, and the intersection of the law and human resources. She received a B.A. from Lafayette College, Master's in Political Science from the University of Pennsylvania, and Juris Doctor from Syracuse University College of Law. Mr. Paul Bonavia Paul Bonavia was Chairman and CEO of UNS Energy and its principal subsidiaries, Tucson Electric Power and UNS Energy Services, from January 2009 to May 2014. He served as Executive Chairman until the sale of the company to Fortis Inc. was completed in August of 2014. He had also served as President until December 2012. Mr. Bonavia worked to establish UNS Energy as a leader in renewable energy and energy efficiency while maintaining safe, affordable, and reliable service to nearly 640,000 utility customers across Arizona. Mr. Bonavia was named by Governor Jan Brewer to the Board of Directors of the Arizona Commerce Authority and has served as a director or trustee of the Southern Arizona Leadership Council (former chairman), Tucson Regional Economic Opportunities (former chairman), United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona (former chairman), University of Arizona Foundation, Tucson Airport Authority, Edison Electric Institute, Institute for Energy Efficiency and American Wind Energy Association. Before joining UNS Energy, Mr. Bonavia was President of the Utilities Group of Xcel Energy and held senior positions at Dominion Power. He earned degrees from Drake University and the University of Miami School of Law and completed Harvard Business School's Advanced Management Program. Mr. Bonavia serves as chair of the board's Human Resources Committee, and is a member of the Corporate Governance & Strategic Planning Committee and the System Planning Committee. Mr. Chris Young Chris Young has been Managing Director and Head of the Takeover Defense Practice at Credit Suisse AG and Credit Suisse Group since June 1, 2010. Until May 2010, Mr. Young served as the Director of M&A and Proxy Fight at Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS). While at ISS, Mr. Young was responsible for analyzing contentious M&A transactions, proxy fights and corporate governance issues and providing proxy voting and tender offer recommendations for ISS institutional investor clients. Mr. Young also helped to facilitate a constructive dialogue between ISS institutional investor clients and senior executives and directors of public companies in the US and Europe. Mr. Young is regarded as a leading authority on contested M&A transactions and shareholder activism. Prior to ISS, Mr. Young was a member of the investment banking group at Bear Stearns and the M&A group at Sullivan & Cromwell. Mr. Young is a CFA charter holder, received his JD, magna cum laude, from Boston University and his BS from Georgetown University. Subscribe to the podcast at iTunes: https://t.co/a70rtSiQnW or SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/thomas-linquist Follow Leadership Lyceum on: Our website: www.LeadershipLyceum.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-linquist-682997 Twitter: @LeaderLyceum https://twitter.com/LeaderLyceum Email us: info@LeadershipLyceum.com Please subscribe to the Leadership Lyceum at iTunes which will enable future content to come to you automatically. Rate us and spread the word among your fellow executives and board colleagues. Your host Thomas B. Linquist is the Founder and Managing Partner of Lyceum Leadership Consulting and Lyceum Leadership Productions. Over his 15 years in management and leadership consulting he has served a wide array of industrial clients. This includes leadership assessment and search for chief executive officers, chief financial officers, chief operating officers and boards of directors. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and over his 25-year career has served in a variety of roles: as an engineer with Shell Oil Company, a banker with ABN AMRO Bank, and as treasurer was the youngest corporate officer in the 150+ year history at Peoples Energy Company in Chicago. He is an expert on hiring and promotion decisions and leadership development. Over the course of his search career, he has interviewed thousands of leaders. Please subscribe to the Leadership Lyceum in the podcast section at iTunes which will enable future content to come to you automatically. Rate us and spread the word among your fellow executives and board colleagues. Program Disclaimer The only purpose of the podcasts is to educate, inform and entertain. The information shared is based on the collection of experiences of each of the guests interviewed and should not be considered or substituted for professional advice. Guests who speak in this podcast express their own opinions, experience and conclusions, and neither The Leadership Lyceum LLC nor any company providing financial support endorses or opposes any particular content, recommendation or methodology discussed in this podcast. This podcast Leadership Lyceum: A CEO's Virtual Mentor has been a production of The Leadership Lyceum LLC. Copyright 2017 All rights reserved | — | ||||||
| 6/8/17 | ![]() "The Electric Utility Industry's Golden Age of Innovation: Now" | Special Podcast Episode 10 "The Electric Utility Industry's Golden Age of Innovation: Now" Innovation Interviews with Eight CEOs After a bit of a hiatus, we are back. I can assure we have been busy on your behalf in the interim. We are delighted to announce that we formed two companies under Leadership Lyceum's brand: Lyceum Leadership Consulting which provides executive and board of director's search, board effectiveness review, and an array of services for successor development and board-readiness. And Lyceum Leadership Productions which brings you this podcast. We will be expanding the programming of the episodes this summer so please subscribe through iTunes and give us feedback. Tell us about leadership situations that you are interested in us exploring. Please visit our website www.LeadershipLyceum.com for all of our archived media and offerings. Welcome to this Special Episode of the Leadership Lyceum: A CEO's Virtual Mentor focused on innovation in an industry that many of us take for granted. We take an in-depth look at innovation in the electric utility industry. It's the Leadership Lyceum's opening act to Edison Electric Institute's annual industry convention that starts this weekend, June 11th in Boston. In this Episode, we take a look back at last year's convention in Chicago, where we conducted 10 interviews that included 8 CEOs from the electric industry covering all points along the electricity value chain from generation to transmission to distribution to the customer meter and beyond. We also have the perspective of a President of a venture capital-backed, technology provider to the industry; as well as the critical viewpoints of the regulator -- with the President of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (or NARUC). By way of context for our broad listenership, Edison Electric Institute (or EEI), is the association that represents all U.S. investor-owned electric companies. EEI provides public policy leadership, strategic business intelligence, and essential conferences and forums for the industry. As a bit of an appeal to our broad listenership --- why should you care about this industry? Well its impact and influence is far-reaching and profound. The member companies of EEI provide electricity for 220 million Americans, operate in all 50 states and the District of Columbia --- and directly and indirectly employ more than one million workers. Our esteemed guests are all listed on the back of the album cover and on our website with links to their bios. As a reminder, we conducted these interviews in June of 2016. Our guests are as follows: Nick Akins, CEO of AEP in Columbus, OH; at the time, the outgoing Chairman of EEI. https://www.aep.com/about/leadership/profile.aspx?id=Akins Tom Fanning, CEO of Southern Company in Atlanta; at the time, the incoming Chairman of EEI. http://www.southerncompany.com/about-us/leadership/ceo.html Warner Baxter, CEO of Ameren Corporation in St Louis. https://www.ameren.com/about/warner-baxter Pedro Pizarro, CEO of Edison International; at the time, the President of Edison subsidiary Southern California Edison. https://www.edison.com/home/investors/corporate-governance/meet-our-board-of-directors/pedro-j-pizarro.html Jim Piro, CEO of Portland General Electric in Portland, OR http://investors.portlandgeneral.com/management.cfm Ralph Izzo, CEO of PSEG, in Newark, NJ; https://www.pseg.com/family/leadership/ceo.jsp Steve Berberich, CEO of California ISO; the ISO is one of the world's largest transmission organizations, managing the electric grid and wholesale power markets for 30 million Californians. https://www.caiso.com/about/Pages/OurLeadership/StephenBerberich.aspx Tony Earley, Executive Chair of the Board of PG&E Corporation in San Francisco; at the time, was Chairman, CEO and President of PG&E http://www.pgecorp.com/aboutus/our_team/TEarley.shtml Alex Laskey, Co-Founder and President of Opower; Alex sold his company to Oracle while we were at the convention in June 2016 https://www.ted.com/speakers/alex_laskey Travis Kavulla, Commissioner, Montana Public Service Commission; and at the time, was serving a term as President of National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (or NARUC) http://psc.mt.gov/commissioners/District1/ Just prior to our interviews last year, Neil Irwin, senior economics correspondent for The New York Times (https://www.nytimes.com/by/neil-irwin) gave us inspiration in his walk down the memory lane of innovation in his May 15, 2016 "The Upshot" column titled "Tracking Down the Golden Age of Innovation". https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/15/upshot/what-was-the-greatest-era-for-american-innovation-a-brief-guided-tour.html?smprod=nytcore-iphone&smid=nytcore-iphone-share Twitter: https://twitter.com/Neil_Irwin He posited in that article that a better way to understand the significance of technological change may be to come as close as we can to actually walking through those time periods, from the end of the Civil War to present, and understand the way we lived, ate, traveled and clothed and entertained ourselves. Through our conversation with these industry leaders, we will attempt to walk you through our current age of innovation in the electric power industry. Segment 1: Opening Statements – The Structure of the Industry. Travis Kavulla, President of NARUC and Commissioner of the Montana PSC. Steve Berberich, CEO of California ISO, managing the transmission grid across the state of California. Tony Earley, CEO of PG&E in San Francisco. Ralph Izzo, CEO of PSEG in Newark. Nick Akins, CEO of AEP in Columbus Steve Berberich, CEO of California ISO Segment 2: Interoperability, Data, and the Customer Steve Berberich, CEO of California ISO He expounds on the subject of interoperability of complex components of the electricity value chain. Nick Akins, CEO of AEP in Columbus Nick transitions into how technology has enabled customer relationships. Advanced Metering triggered proximity to the customer. Tony Earley, CEO of PG&E in San Francisco. Alex Laskey, President of Opower Pedro Pizarro, CEO of Edison International Segment 3: Boundary Conditions and how utilities are defining the boundaries of their service. Warner Baxter, CEO of Ameren in St Louis Pedro Pizarro, CEO of Edison International Steve Berberich, CEO of California ISO Travis Kavulla, President of NARUC and Commissioner of the Montana PSC. Nick Akins, CEO of AEP in Columbus Ralph Izzo, CEO of PSEG in Newark. Tom Fanning, CEO of Southern Company in Atlanta Tony Earley, CEO of PG&E in San Francisco. Segment 4: Collaboration with Disruptors and how utilities are partnering with the technologists on innovation and solutions. Warner Baxter, CEO of Ameren in St Louis Jim Piro, CEO of Portland General Electric Segment 5: Regulatory Barriers and Enablers to innovation. Travis Kavulla, President of NARUC and Commissioner of the Montana PSC. Pedro Pizarro, CEO of Edison International Alex Laskey, President of Opower Segment 6: Are We Pushing Hard Enough to Innovate? Travis Kavulla, President of NARUC and Commissioner of the Montana PSC. Nick Akins, CEO of AEP in Columbus Jim Piro, CEO of Portland General Electric Tom Fanning, CEO of Southern Company in Atlanta Segment 7: Parting Thoughts and Advice to Stakeholders. It's fitting that our three guests with the parting words are those who have transitioned since my interview with them last year. One through sale of company, one through executive retirement, and the other through expiration of term of service. Tony Earley, CEO of PG&E in San Francisco - who has now turned the leadership of PG&E over to his successor Geisha Williams. Alex Laskey, President of Opower Travis Kavulla, President of NARUC and Commissioner of the Montana PSC in the anchor position with advice on the posture and approach of stakeholders to foster innovation from the regulatory point of view. Our Parting Thoughts I can't think of a more fitting way to close this retrospective than drawing from the opening of Neil Irwin's NYT article that I mentioned at the outset of this episode. Are you a skeptical economist who believes that we're in a depressing era in which innovation has slowed and living standards are barely rising? Or are you a techno-optimist who believes that that our era, in which digital technology is transforming the underpinnings of human existence, is the golden age of innovation? Thanks for joining us. We can't improve without your feedback – write us through our website www.LeadershipLyceum.com and subscribe on iTunes. See you next time. Informative and Helpful Links Edison Electric Institute (EEI): http://www.eei.org/ Ameren Corporation: https://www.ameren.com/ American Electric Power: https://www.aep.com/ California ISO: http://www.caiso.com/ Edison International: http://www.edison.com/ Pacific Gas & Electric: https://www.pge.com/ Portland General Electric: https://www.portlandgeneral.com/ Public Service Enterprise Group: https://www.pseg.com/ Southern Company: http://www.southerncompany.com/ Oracle and Opower: https://www.oracle.com/corporate/acquisitions/opower/index.html Montana PSC: http://psc.mt.gov/ National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC): https://www.naruc.org/ New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/by/neil-irwin Program Guide: Special Episode 10 "The Electric Utility Industry's Golden Age of Innovation: Now" Innovation Interviews with Eight CEOs 0:30 Introduction to the Lyceum Leadership Consulting and Lyceum Leadership Productions 1:15 Introduction to "Innovation in the Electric Industry" through 10 interviews including 8 CEOs 4:05 Segment 1: Opening Statements – The Structure of the Industry 11:43 Break 1 11:57 Segment 2: Interoperability, Data, and the Customer 26:02 Break 2 26:24 Segment 3: Boundary Conditions - how utilities are defining the boundaries of their service. 36:50 Break 3 37:03 Segment 4: Collaboration with Disruptors 39:32 Break 4 39:49 Segment 5: Regulatory Barriers and Enablers 45:16 Break 5 45:31 Segment 6: Are We Pushing Hard Enough to Innovate? 51:12 Break 6 51:34 Segment 7: Parting Thoughts and Advice to Stakeholders 57:04 Lyceum's Parting Thoughts 57:37 End of Episode Subscribe to the Podcast at: iTunes or SoundCloud Follow Leadership Lyceum on: www.LeadershipLyceum.com LinkedIn Twitter Instagram Facebook Email us: info@LeadershipLyceum.com Please subscribe to the Leadership Lyceum at iTunes which will enable future content to come to you automatically. Rate us and spread the word among your fellow executives and board colleagues. Your host Thomas B. Linquist is the Founder and Managing Partner of Lyceum Leadership Consulting and Lyceum Leadership Productions. Over his 15 years in management and leadership consulting he has served a wide array of industrial clients. This includes leadership assessment and search for chief executive officers, chief financial officers, chief operating officers and boards of directors. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and over his 25-year career has served in a variety of roles: as an engineer with Shell Oil Company, a banker with ABN AMRO Bank, and as treasurer was the youngest corporate officer in the 150+ year history at Peoples Energy Company in Chicago. He is an expert on hiring and promotion decisions and leadership development. Over the course of his search career, he has interviewed thousands of leaders. Please subscribe to the Leadership Lyceum in the podcast section at iTunes which will enable future content to come to you automatically. Rate us and spread the word among your fellow executives and board colleagues. Copyright 2017 by The Leadership Lyceum LLC | — | ||||||
| 3/13/17 | ![]() Interview with Pedro Pizarro, CEO of Edison International | "Perpetuating the California Dream: Progressive Policy Meets Progressive Leadership" Interview with Pedro Pizarro, CEO of Edison International in Los Angeles, California Welcome to Episode 9 of the Leadership Lyceum: A CEO's Virtual Mentor. I had the pleasure of visiting Pedro Pizarro, CEO of Edison International in his Los Angeles office for this conversation as part of what will be a bit of a sub-series introducing some of the recently appointed CEO's in the utility industry. Edison International (Ticker: EIX) is the publicly-traded holding company for regulated utility Southern California Edison and a small array of non-regulated investments plus Edison Energy. At $11.5 billion in annual revenue, and serving 15 million customers, the company is one of the largest utilities in the country. Our interview will delve deeply into one of Pedro's priorities for positioning their utility, Southern California Edison (SCE) to help the state of California achieve its very ambitious, legislatively-mandated targets for reducing greenhouse gases by 2030. The path ahead for Pedro and Edison with respect to his plan to: "help catalyze all the efforts to support reducing greenhouse gases" is uncharted and unprecedented. To achieve the targets, it is not enough for California to decarbonize the electric power sector – they need cooperation and electrification from other sectors. As fitting context for this interview, in our last podcast episode, Episode 8, we illustrated through our interview with Susan Story, CEO of American Water, how success in the public utilities industry requires industry leaders to lead "beyond their authority" – that is, leading beyond the boundaries of their corporations. We discussed that continuously achieving safe, clean, reliable, affordable service is dependent upon public policy, legislation, and regulatory relationships which in turn require leaders to lead and influence beyond the boundaries of their corporations. California legislation presents a stage set for leadership of this nature. This includes a plot thickened by the stark disparity between California and Federal, climate and renewable energy policy. But there are no scripts for this story. The action will be carried out by a talented troop of improvisational actors. Informative and Helpful Links A helpful summary of California Climate legislation called SB 32 which was promulgated on September 8, 2016. We discussed this in detail in the interview. http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article100734142.html A helpful summary of California Climate legislation called SB 350 which was promulgated on October 7, 2015. We discussed this in depth in the interview. http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-sac-jerry-brown-climate-change-renewable-energy-20151007-story.html LA 2024 – Los Angeles's Bid for the Olympics. LA is one of two candidate cities along with Paris. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_bid_for_the_2024_Summer_Olympics My LA Times source on legendary historian Kevin Starr from an obituary the day before my interview with Pedro. http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-kevin-starr-obit-20170115-story.html Edison International Website: https://www.edison.com California is using more renewables and less natural gas in its summer electricity mix https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=27812 California has nearly half of the nation's solar electricity generating capacity https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=24852# Program Guide Episode 9 Pedro Pizarro Interview – "Perpetuating the California Dream: Progressive Policy Meets Progressive Leadership" 0:30 Introduction to Pedro Pizarro CEO of Edison International 1:19 Policy/legislative context for the interview 2:52 Start of interview – key areas of focus on Pedro's leadership agenda 5:25 Break 1 5:46 Non-regulated Edison Energy focus on the Commercial & Industrial (C&I) market 8:20 Benefits of a dual platform: regulated and competitive businesses and two views 9:30 Use of electric storage/batteries (front-of-the-meter and behind-the-meter-applications) 13:00 Other state's activity vs California: Community Solar in Minnesota 13:50 Pedro's leadership as a relatively new CEO of an iconic California company 16:35 California's unique position – the imaginative and the factual; the influence on the nation 19:30 Break 2 19:51 Leadership outside the walls of the company and LA 2024, LA's bid for the Olympics 22:20 LA 2024 and strength of conviction and strength of the bid 23:48 Policy and Legislation: SB 350 (state renewable portfolio standard increase) and SB 32 (greenhouse gas emission reductions) 28:01 Striking balances on policy and legislation – Example: Net Energy Metering revisit in state in 2019 30:12 Break 3 30:34 SB 32 greenhouse gas emission reductions discussion and the task ahead in context 32:00 Accounting for greenhouse gas emissions by sector. Needs from sectors beyond the electric utility sector 33:46 Edison's task in the future regarding SB 32 and implications on Edison's grid 34:55 Break 4 35:07 Cross-economy/cross-government collaboration for SB 32 progress. Example - ports and port transportation networks 38:21 Pedro Pizarro's vision and approach for Edison International in cross-industry collaboration 40:26 Break 5 (Final Break) 40:44 Conclusion - LA 2024 "the first energy positive solar powered games" in history. Tying it all together. 44:01 Recap and end of Episode 9 Biography on Pedro Pizarro Mr. Pizarro has been the President and CEO of EIX since October 2016. Prior to that, he served as President of EIX from June 2016 to September 2016 and President of SCE from October 2014 to May 2016. Mr. Pizarro has held a wide range of executive positions at the EIX companies since joining EIX in 1999. From 2011 through March 2014, he served as President of EME, an indirect subsidiary of EIX that filed for bankruptcy in 2012. Prior to that, Mr. Pizarro served as Executive Vice President of SCE from 2008 to 2011, responsible for SCE's transmission and distribution system, procurement of conventional and renewable power, and gas-fired and hydroelectric power production facilities. He also previously served as Vice President and Senior Vice President of Power Procurement, and Vice President of Strategy and Business Development, among other executive roles. Prior to his work at the EIX companies, Mr. Pizarro was a senior engagement manager with McKinsey & Company, providing management consulting services to energy, technology, engineering services, and banking clients. He is a director of the Edison Electric Institute and the Electric Power Research Institute, and is a member of the Board of Governors of Argonne National Laboratory. Mr. Pizarro is a graduate of Harvard University and earned a Ph.D. in chemistry from the California Institute of Technology. Subscribe to the podcast at iTunes: https://t.co/a70rtSiQnW or SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/thomas-linquist Follow Leadership Lyceum on: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-linquist-682997 Twitter: @LeaderLyceum https://twitter.com/LeaderLyceum Email us: Thomas.Linquist@LeadershipLyceum.com Please subscribe to the Leadership Lyceum at iTunes which will enable future content to come to you automatically. Rate us and spread the word among your fellow executives and board colleagues. Your host Thomas B. Linquist is a Partner at a leading global executive search firm. Over his 15 years in management and leadership consulting he has served a wide array of industrial clients. This includes leadership assessment and search for chief executive officers, chief financial officers, chief operating officers and boards of directors. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and over his 25-year career has served in a variety of roles: as an engineer with Shell Oil Company, a banker with ABN AMRO Bank, and as treasurer was the youngest corporate officer in the 150+ year history at Peoples Energy Company in Chicago. He is an expert on hiring and promotion decisions and leadership development. Over the course of his search career, he has interviewed thousands of leaders. Please subscribe to the Leadership Lyceum in the podcast section at iTunes which will enable future content to come to you automatically. Rate us and spread the word among your fellow executives and board colleagues. © 2017 The Leadership Lyceum LLC | — | ||||||
| 2/12/17 | ![]() "Leading Beyond Authority in Utilities: A Conversation with American Water Works CEO Susan Story" | Welcome to Episode 8 of the Leadership Lyceum: A CEO's Virtual Mentor "Leading Beyond Authority in Utilities: A Conversation with American Water Works CEO Susan Story" American Water Works (Ticker: AWK) is the largest publicly-traded water utility in the country, serving one of the basic human needs of about 15 million customers across 47 states, and in Ontario, Canada. The company serves, and Susan leads, in a mission-critical infrastructure sector. I have had the pleasure of hearing Susan Story, CEO of American Water, speak to industry groups on numerous occasions over the last several years. Her speeches are engaging and carry power that moves an audience to action. I realized that the persuasive power of her public speaking and her approach to leadership demonstrates quintessential qualities for effective leadership beyond the boundaries of the corporation that she leads. A key measure of success in the utility industry is continuously achieving safe, clean, reliable, affordable delivery of service. These objectives are dynamic and their parameters are often dependent on public policy, legislation, and regulatory relationships. Industry leaders, therefore, must advocate in these areas by leading and influencing beyond the boundaries of their corporations. They must lead beyond their authority. There are three types of authority, according to the famed sociologist Max Weber. There is authority based on legal rules. There is traditional authority, based on traditions, customs and historical precedents. Weber posited an additional authority structure called charismatic authority. Charismatic authority is conferred on someone not by established norm or rule, but by an individual's personal history, achievements and leadership qualities. Weber defines charisma as possessing exceptional qualities regarded as exemplary in the eyes of his or her followers. A utility executive leads beyond the boundaries of the corporation with charismatic authority. Leadership effectiveness in this sphere of charismatic authority, above and beyond the corporation's boundaries, requires unique characteristics and competencies often overlooked. There are many descriptors for the general qualities of the effective leader. But there are very few specific frameworks for effective leadership with charismatic authority. In 1951, Northwestern University professor Franklyn Haiman established a list of qualities desirable for a leader engaged in democratic processes. These qualities include social sensitivity, which includes a respect and concern for others, extroversion, and a belief in the value of the individual. This sincere interest in other people is the most important attribute of this type of leader. Other qualities include sensitivity to the basic trends and moods of the group; knowledge and expertise in the area where they are expected to lead; facility in verbalizing the ideas of a group; vitality; maturity and patience. Susan Story has those qualities. I think you will hear evidence of the qualities throughout my interview with her. These attributes enable her to successfully lead and influence people beyond her corporate authority into the areas of corporate social responsibility and public policy. Informative and Helpful Links From the September 13, 2014 The New York Times: Adam Bryant's Corner Office "Susan Story of American Water: A Job Description Is Just the Start" https://nyti.ms/2jGgWfX The Bipartisan Policy Center: http://bipartisanpolicy.org The Bipartisan Policy Center is a non-profit organization that combines the best ideas from both parties to promote health, security, and opportunity for all Americans. BPC drives principled and politically viable policy solutions through the power of rigorous analysis, painstaking negotiation, and aggressive advocacy. Program Guide Susan Story Interview – "Leading Beyond Authority in Utilities" 0:30 Introduction to Susan Story, American Water and Policy Leadership 1:55 Strategic and public policy priorities for American Water 5:33 Introduction to the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) 7:06 BPC: Moving from white papers to practical legislation 7:58 BPC: Addressing aging infrastructure - Public Private Partnerships (P3s) 9:45 BPC solutions and implications on activities of American Water 11:50 Break 1 12:07 Ideal conditions state-by-state to support P3s. Fair market value, single tariffs. 15:20 Measures and approaches to addressing state-level policy matters. 16:40 Break 2 17:00 BPC: Other industries that benefit from the P3 construct 17:50 Barriers to P3s: Bonding capacity - tax-exempt bond defeasance enablers and barriers 19:45 Lyceum's introduction to "Leading Beyond Authority" and definition of "charismatic authority" 21:06 Susan's leadership approach to broad policy and regulatory environments. 25:32 Lyceum's outline of effective leadership attributes for those with charismatic authority. 26:32 Susan's approach to achieving forward progress on policy matters 28:10 Meaning and pride in our work: Herbie Sims, backhoe operator 30:45 Break 3 31:05 Susan's vision for water and wastewater five years down the road. 34:14 End of episode and preview of Episode 9 with Pedro Pizarro, CEO of Edison International Biography on Susan Story Susan N. Story is president and chief executive officer (CEO) of American Water, the largest publicly traded U.S. water and wastewater utility company. In this role since May 9, 2014, Ms. Story leads a team of 6,700 dedicated professionals who provide regulated and market-based drinking water, wastewater and other related services to an estimated 15 million people in 47 states and Ontario, Canada. She is responsible for developing the overall strategy and vision of American Water and directing its key business development initiatives. Ms. Story joined American Water in April 2013 as chief financial officer (CFO). In this role, she had responsibility for all financial functions, including directing and coordinating all company financial objectives and obligations; ensuring the integrity of financial statements; developing budgets for both annual and interim periods; developing cash management investment strategies; maintaining a financially solvent organization; leading Sarbanes-Oxley; and overseeing the shared services organization. With more than 30 years of utility experience, Ms. Story is well-versed in overseeing complex financial systems, optimizing cost structures and strengthening internal controls. Prior to joining American Water in April 2013, Ms. Story served as executive vice president of Southern Company, one of America's largest generators of electricity serving both regulated and competitive markets across the southeastern United States. In this capacity, she was a member of the company's management council and was president and CEO of Southern Company Services Inc., with responsibilities for functional support of all of Southern Company's subsidiaries. Previously, Ms. Story served as president and CEO of Gulf Power Company, a Florida subsidiary of Southern Company. She has also served as Southern Company's executive vice president of Engineering and Construction Services, where she had oversight for budgets and schedules of numerous combined cycle power plants and large environmental retrofit projects. Ms. Story began her career at Southern Company as a nuclear power plant engineer and had increasing responsibilities in operations, human resources, customer service, corporate real estate and supply chain. She has also been an independent director of Raymond James Financial, a diversified financial services company, since 2008, and was named Independent Lead Director in February 2016. Story has a history of active involvement in community, industry, education and economic development efforts. She currently serves on the board of directors for the Bipartisan Policy Center and as co-chair of its Executive Council on Infrastructure. She is also on the board of the Alliance to Save Energy (ASE), and is a member of the Electric Power Research Institute Advisory Council and the Moffitt Cancer Center Board of Advisors in Tampa, Fla. She was recently the national chairman for the Center for Energy Workforce Development (CEWD) and served on the board of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). In her time in Florida, she was a member of the Florida Board of Education, appointed to the Federal Judicial Nominating Commission, appointed chair of the state's economic development public-private partnership, and was an appointee to the Tax and Budget Reform Commission, required every 20 years by the Florida Constitution. Ms. Story attended executive education programs at Duke University and Oxford University in England, and completed international business studies at Cambridge University and leadership studies at Harvard. She earned a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering from Auburn University and an MBA from the University of Alabama in Birmingham. She completed additional post-graduate coursework in the Master of Finance program at the University of Alabama focusing on financial derivatives, and at the Birmingham School of Law focusing on torts and contracts. Subscribe to the podcast at iTunes: https://t.co/a70rtSiQnW or SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/thomas-linquist Follow Leadership Lyceum on: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-linquist-682997 Twitter: @LeaderLyceum https://twitter.com/LeaderLyceum Email us: Thomas.Linquist@LeadershipLyceum.com Subscribe to the Leadership Lyceum at iTunes which will enable future content to come to you automatically. Rate us and spread the word among your fellow executives and board colleagues. Your host Thomas B. Linquist is a Partner at a leading global executive search firm. Over his 15 years in management and leadership consulting he has served a wide array of industrial clients. This includes leadership assessment and search for chief executive officers, chief financial officers, chief operating officers and boards of directors. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and over his 25-year career has served in a variety of roles: as an engineer with Shell Oil Company, a banker with ABN AMRO Bank, and as treasurer was the youngest corporate officer in the 150+ year history at Peoples Energy Company in Chicago. He is an expert on hiring and promotion decisions and leadership development. Over the course of his search career, he has interviewed thousands of leaders. Copyright 2016 by The Leadership Lyceum LLC | — | ||||||
| 1/9/17 | ![]() Part 2 of 2: "Utility Mergers & Acquisitions: Reflections from The Room Where It Happened" | Part 2 of 2: "Utility Mergers & Acquisitions: Reflections from The Room Where It Happened" Interview with McKinsey & Company Emeritus, Dr. Les Silverman, former Lead Independent Director of Pepco and Independent Director of Columbia Pipeline Group (CPG); Mr. Robert (Bob) Skaggs, former CEO of NiSource and then CEO of CPG; and Mr. Joseph (Joe) Rigby, former Chief Executive Officer of Pepco. Welcome to Episode 7 of the Leadership Lyceum: A CEO's Virtual Mentor. This is Part 2 of a 2-part novel interview with two CEO's and a common board member between them. As a board member for both companies, Les Silverman was at the vertex of notable M&A transactions that took place under the leadership of each of these CEOs over the last two years. At NiSource, Bob Skaggs presided over the separation of the gas storage and transmission assets from the regulated utility. Bob led CPG's spinoff from NiSource into a standalone publicly traded company in July 2015, and the subsequent sale of CPG to TransCanada one year later. At Pepco, Joe Rigby led the sale of Pepco to Exelon. The NiSource - CPG transaction unfolded in a relatively smooth and speedy manner, while the Pepco acquisition could only be described as epic and protracted. My fabulous foursome gathered in the Pepco offices on a crisp early autumn day in 2016 in Washington in one of the rooms where it happened several months after the completion of their transactions to reflect on the deliberations and perspectives of the executives and one of the non-executive directors who made it all happen. Informative and Helpful Links From Utility Dive: Gavin Bade's "A brief history of the Exelon-Pepco merger saga" http://www.utilitydive.com/news/updated-a-brief-history-of-the-exelon-pepco-merger-saga/414573/ Subscribe to the podcast at iTunes: https://t.co/a70rtSiQnW or SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/thomas-linquist Follow Leadership Lyceum on: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-linquist-682997 Twitter: @LeaderLyceum https://twitter.com/LeaderLyceum Email us: Thomas.Linquist@LeadershipLyceum.com Please subscribe to the Leadership Lyceum at iTunes which will enable future content to come to you automatically. Rate us and spread the word among your fellow executives and board colleagues. Your host Thomas B. Linquist is a Partner at a leading global executive search firm. Over his 15 years in management and leadership consulting he has served a wide array of industrial clients. This includes leadership assessment and search for chief executive officers, chief financial officers, chief operating officers and boards of directors. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and over his 25-year career has served in a variety of roles: as an engineer with Shell Oil Company, a banker with ABN AMRO Bank, and as treasurer was the youngest corporate officer in the 150+ year history at Peoples Energy Company in Chicago. He is an expert on hiring and promotion decisions and leadership development. Over the course of his search career, he has interviewed thousands of leaders. Please subscribe to the Leadership Lyceum in the podcast section at iTunes which will enable future content to come to you automatically. Rate us and spread the word among your fellow executives and board colleagues. Copyright 2016 by The Leadership Lyceum LLC | — | ||||||
| 12/5/16 | ![]() Part 1 of 2: "Utility Mergers & Acquisitions: Reflections from The Room Where It Happened" | Part 1 of 2: "Utility Mergers & Acquisitions: Reflections from The Room Where It Happened" Interview with McKinsey & Company Emeritus, Dr. Les Silverman, former Lead Independent Director of Pepco and Independent Director of Columbia Pipeline Group (CPG); Mr. Robert (Bob) Skaggs, former CEO of NiSource and then CEO of CPG; and Mr. Joseph (Joe) Rigby, former Chief Executive Officer of Pepco. Welcome to Episode 7 of the Leadership Lyceum: A CEO's Virtual Mentor. This is Part 1 of a 2-part novel interview with two CEO's and a common board member between them. As a board member for both companies, Les Silverman was at the vertex of notable M&A transactions that took place under the leadership of each of these CEOs over the last two years. At NiSource, Bob Skaggs presided over the separation of the gas storage and transmission assets from the regulated utility. Bob led CPG's spinoff from NiSource into a standalone publicly traded company in July 2015, and the subsequent sale of CPG to TransCanada one year later. At Pepco, Joe Rigby led the sale of Pepco to Exelon. The NiSource - CPG transaction unfolded in a relatively smooth and speedy manner, while the Pepco acquisition could only be described as epic and protracted. My fabulous foursome gathered in the Pepco offices in Washington in one of the rooms where it happened several months after the completion of their transactions to reflect on the deliberations and perspectives of the executives and one of the non-executive directors who made it all happen. Informative and Helpful Links From Utility Dive: Gavin Bade's "A brief history of the Exelon-Pepco merger saga" http://www.utilitydive.com/news/updated-a-brief-history-of-the-exelon-pepco-merger-saga/414573/ Subscribe to the podcast at iTunes: https://t.co/a70rtSiQnW or SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/thomas-linquist Follow Leadership Lyceum on: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-linquist-682997 Twitter: @LeaderLyceum https://twitter.com/LeaderLyceum Email us: Thomas.Linquist@LeadershipLyceum.com Please subscribe to the Leadership Lyceum at iTunes which will enable future content to come to you automatically. Rate us and spread the word among your fellow executives and board colleagues. Your host Thomas B. Linquist is a Partner at a leading global executive search firm. Over his 15 years in management and leadership consulting he has served a wide array of industrial clients. This includes leadership assessment and search for chief executive officers, chief financial officers, chief operating officers and boards of directors. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and over his 25-year career has served in a variety of roles: as an engineer with Shell Oil Company, a banker with ABN AMRO Bank, and as treasurer was the youngest corporate officer in the 150+ year history at Peoples Energy Company in Chicago. He is an expert on hiring and promotion decisions and leadership development. Over the course of his search career, he has interviewed thousands of leaders. Please subscribe to the Leadership Lyceum in the podcast section at iTunes which will enable future content to come to you automatically. Rate us and spread the word among your fellow executives and board colleagues. Copyright 2016 by The Leadership Lyceum LLC | — | ||||||
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