Jason P. Wells to Become CEO; David J. Lesar to
Support Transition
CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE: CNP) today announced a
leadership transition that helps position the company to continue
driving sustainable value for customers, communities, investors and
employees. The Board has unanimously appointed Jason P. Wells,
CenterPoint Energy President and Chief Operating Officer, to become
President and Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of
Directors, effective January 5, 2024. David J. Lesar will retire
from his role as CEO and a member of the Board at that time. Mr.
Lesar will continue to work closely with Mr. Wells to support a
seamless transition.
“On behalf of the Board of Directors, I thank Dave for his
outstanding leadership and commitment to CenterPoint Energy, and
for his relentless pursuit of unlocking the strength and potential
of our company to firmly position us among the premium-valued
utilities in our industry,” said Earl M. Cummings, Chair of the
Board. “Today’s announcement reflects the Board’s longstanding and
robust leadership succession planning and stakeholder engagement
process. We look forward to continuing to benefit from Dave’s
experience and expertise through the transition period. Jason
shares the same unwavering commitment to the pursuit of excellence
that Dave has fostered and has played a pivotal role in
establishing and executing on CenterPoint Energy’s utility-focused
strategy and charting the company’s growth trajectory. The Board is
confident that Jason is the right leader to continue to advance the
company’s strategy and drive stakeholder value.”
Mr. Wells said, “It is an exciting time in CenterPoint Energy’s
long history. Together, we have worked to advance our vision as a
pure-play, regulated and premium utility. We are successfully
executing our industry-leading capital investment plan with a focus
on safety, reliability, resiliency, growth and enabling cleaner
energy investments to benefit our community and all our
stakeholders. Dave’s outstanding leadership has been instrumental
in transforming the company into one of the most tangible growth
stories in the industry. As we enter this next chapter, I look
forward to working with Dave over the next few months to ensure a
seamless transition for all of our stakeholders and I thank him for
his partnership. I am honored to lead the exceptional and dedicated
team at CenterPoint Energy that puts customers and communities at
the forefront of all we do. I look forward to continuing to engage
with our stakeholders and sharing my vision for our great company’s
future in the coming months.”
Mr. Lesar said, “It has been an honor and a privilege to lead
CenterPoint Energy these past three-plus years and to work with our
outstanding people to transform the company into the leader it is
today. I am incredibly proud of the significant achievements we’ve
accomplished together and the work we have done to make the pursuit
of progress possible on our path to a premium market valuation. We
have reached this momentous milestone after a rigorous and
purposeful succession journey, and I am confident that Jason is the
best leader to be at the helm of our company as it continues to
move forward.”
About Jason P. Wells
Mr. Wells joined CenterPoint Energy in 2020, and over the last
three years has held several executive leadership positions,
including Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. In
this role, he was responsible for the company’s Finance
organization and electric generation transition plan. Most
recently, Mr. Wells served as President and Chief Operating Officer
and is responsible for the company’s utilities operations,
including electric, natural gas and power generation. Mr. Wells is
focused on safety, promoting excellence across operations and
executing on the company’s industry-leading growth plan.
Previously, Mr. Wells held positions of increasing
responsibility with PG&E Corporation for 13 years. He served as
EVP and CFO overseeing the financial activities of the nearly $60
billion enterprise. In his roles as Chief Financial Officer, Mr.
Wells successfully led the execution of more than $50 billion in
capital markets and strategic transactions.
Mr. Wells serves on the boards of the Greater Houston
Partnership, Central Houston, Inc., M.D. Anderson Cancer Center,
and the Bauer College of Business at the University of Houston. He
is also on the advisory board of the Kinder Institute for Urban
Research at Rice University. In addition, he served on the board of
the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank in 2020 and was a board member
and treasurer of Habitat for Humanity Greater San Francisco from
2013 to 2019.
He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting, both
from the University of Florida, and is a Certified Public
Accountant (CPA).
About CenterPoint Energy, Inc.
As the only investor owned electric and gas utility based in
Texas, CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE: CNP) is an energy delivery
company with electric transmission and distribution, power
generation and natural gas distribution operations that serve more
than 7 million metered customers in Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota,
Mississippi, Ohio and Texas. As of September 30, 2023, the company
owned approximately $39 billion in assets. With approximately 9,000
employees, CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies have
been in business for more than 150 years. For more information,
visit CenterPointEnergy.com.
Forward-looking Statements
This news release includes forward-looking statements within the
meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
When used in this news release, the words "anticipate," "believe,"
"continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "forecast," "goal,"
"intend," "may," "objective," "plan," "potential," "predict,"
"projection," "should," "target," "will" or other similar words are
intended to identify forward-looking statements. These
forward-looking statements are based upon assumptions of management
which are believed to be reasonable at the time made and are
subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Actual events and
results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by
these forward-looking statements. Any statements in this news
release regarding future events, such as CenterPoint Energy's
long-term capital plan and its ability to execute on its long-term
capital plan and generation transition plans, future financial
performance of CenterPoint Energy, executive management continuity
and executive succession planning, achievement of emissions
reduction goals, Board composition and any other statements that
are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. Each
forward-looking statement contained in this news release speaks
only as of the date of this release. Important factors that could
cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by
the provided forward-looking information include risks and
uncertainties relating to: (1) the impact of pandemics, including
the COVID-19 pandemic; (2) financial market conditions; (3) general
economic conditions; (4) the timing and impact of future regulatory
and legislative decisions; (5) effects of competition; (6) weather
variations; (7) changes in business plans; (8) continued
disruptions to the global supply chain and increases in commodity
prices; (9) legislative decisions, including tax and developments
related to the environment such as global climate change, air
emissions, carbon and waste water discharges; (10) CenterPoint
Energy's ability to execute on its initiatives, targets and goals
and operations and maintenance goals and (11) other factors, risks
and uncertainties discussed in CenterPoint Energy's Annual Report
on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022 and
CenterPoint's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended
March 31, 2023, June 30, 2023 and September 30, 2023, and other
reports CenterPoint Energy or its subsidiaries may file from time
to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231026000972/en/
Media: Communications
Media.Relations@CenterPointEnergy.com Investors: Jackie
Richert / Ben Vallejo Phone 713.207.6500
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