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Duke Energy announces leadership changes

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Duke Energy announces leadership changes
(photo courtesy Duke Energy)

Duke Energy has announced several changes to its executive leadership positions, including the promotion of Harry Sideris to president, effective April 1. Lynn Good remains Duke Energy’s chair and chief executive officer.

In addition, the company announced that Steve Young is retiring as executive vice president and chief commercial officer, effective June 30. He will continue as a senior advisor to Duke Energy until that time. And three people are joining the company’s senior management committee: Bonnie Titone, Sasha Weintraub and Scott Batson.

Sideris, a 28-year company veteran, will have responsibility for Duke Energy’s electric and gas utilities, including all aspects of customer service and operations.

Sideris most recently served as executive vice president of customer experience, solutions and services, where he led transmission, distribution and customer operations, as well as economic development activities. Sideris has previously served as president of the company’s Florida regulated utility, chief distribution officer, and senior vice president of environmental, health and safety.

“Harry’s leadership experiences have included nearly every facet of Duke Energy’s operations as well as extensive regulatory and stakeholder experience. This uniquely qualifies him to lead our utilities and operations in this period of transformation as we continue to meet the growing demands for affordable, reliable and increasingly clean energy,” Good said. “Having worked closely with him over the last several years, I am confident of his commitment to our customers, communities, investors and stakeholders who count on us every day.”

In announcing Young’s retirement, Good recognized his career of more than four decades that included serving nine years as Duke Energy’s EVP and chief financial officer before taking on his current position in September 2022, which included oversight of the commercial renewables business, natural gas business unit, generation and transmission strategy, and information technology.

Young spent his entire career with Duke Energy, joining Duke Power as a financial assistant in 1980 out of college and advancing through the organization to serve in several leadership roles across finance, the controller’s office, rates and regulatory affairs, and system planning and operations.

“Through all seasons and circumstances, Steve’s leadership has made a difference for Duke Energy,” Good said. “He has played a key role in shaping and implementing the strategy that has positioned us as a pure-play regulated company with a clear path for growth. He has brought credibility and worked tirelessly to deliver value to our customers and our investors while also serving as a mentor and coach to many of our leaders. We are a stronger company today because of his many contributions.”

As a result of Sideris’s expanded scope and Young’s planned retirement, Good’s direct reports now include Sideris; Brian Savoy, EVP and chief financial officer; Louis Renjel, EVP and chief corporate affairs officer; and Kodwo Ghartey-Tagoe, EVP, chief legal officer and corporate secretary.  Sideris’s direct reports include Julie Janson, EVP and CEO of the Carolinas, who adds responsibility for the natural gas business unit; Alex Glenn, EVP and CEO of Duke Energy Florida and Midwest; and Preston Gillespie, EVP and chief generation officer and head of enterprise operational excellence.

In addition to the above leaders, who make up the company’s senior management committee, other executives are joining the group effective April 1:

Titone, who most recently served as SVP and chief information officer, is being appointed SVP and chief administrative officer, with responsibilities that include information technology, cyber, supply chain and facilities and real estate. With more than 22 years of experience in information technology, Titone joined Duke Energy in 2019 from Pacific Gas and Electric after leadership roles with Volkswagen and Toyota.

Weintraub, who most recently served as SVP and head of the natural gas business unit, is being appointed SVP and chief customer officer. In addition to customer service functions, Weintraub’s new scope will include responsibility for new customer products and services, as well as customer pricing and rate design, economic development and wholesale customers. Additionally, his portfolio includes the company’s grid strategy. He has more than 25 years of industry experience.

Scott Batson, whose responsibilities expanded this month when he assumed the role of senior vice president and chief power grid operations officer, brings nearly 40 years of company experience and oversees the safe, reliable and efficient operation of Duke Energy’s electric transmission and distribution systems for the six-state service area.

Duke Energy’s electric utilities serve 8.2 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, and collectively own 50,000 MW of energy capacity. This includes hydropower, such as the 740 MW Catawba-Wateree Hydro Project and the 1,065 MW Bad Creek pumped storage project.