AESO Board Announcement: Leadership Transition and Departure of Michael Law
July 04 2024 - 2:49PM
The Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO) Board announced today
that Michael Law, President and Chief Executive Officer, will leave
the organization, effective August 1, 2024. Law first joined the
AESO in 2009 as Vice-President, Operations and was promoted to
President and Chief Executive Officer in 2019.
“This is a critical time for the AESO as we move
towards both a new market design and significant energy transition
activities,” said Karl Johannson, AESO Board Chair. “The AESO
continues to focus on the next milestone as it progresses design
work on the Restructured Energy Market in parallel with government
policy.”
To ensure a seamless transition of the AESO’s
critical work, the AESO Board is pleased to announce that Aaron
Engen will assume the role of President and Chief Executive Officer
of the AESO, effective August 1, 2024, following Law’s
departure.
Engen has served on the AESO’s board of directors
since 2020 and is currently the Chair of the Power System
Committee. He has over two decades of investment banking experience
most recently as Vice Chair, Investment & Corporate Banking at
BMO Capital Markets. His work focused on energy infrastructure
including power and utilities and he co-headed the bank’s Power
& Energy Infrastructure group. More recently, he co-headed
BMO’s Energy Transition group which focused on key sectors
including hydrogen, carbon capture and sequestration, renewable
natural gas, renewable power generation, energy storage and small
modular reactors.
Prior to joining BMO Capital Markets, Engen was a
partner at a major Canadian law firm, where he practiced corporate
and securities law. He has a Master of Business Administration and
a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Alberta, as well as a
Bachelor of Arts and Science from the University of Lethbridge.
“The AESO Board is confident in Aaron’s ability to
assume the President and CEO role,” said Johannson. “He will play a
key role in engaging with stakeholders in the development of
Alberta’s market design and brings deep corporate finance,
investment and transactional experience which will help support the
AESO and stakeholders as we move through this transition.”
More information on the AESO can be found at
www.aeso.ca
The Alberta Electric System Operator is responsible
for the safe, reliable, and economic planning and operation of the
Alberta Interconnected Electric System. We provide open and
non-discriminatory access to Alberta’s interconnected power grid
and we also facilitate Alberta’s competitive wholesale electricity
market.
Media enquires should be directed to AESO Media Relations at media@aeso.ca