MERRILLVILLE, Ind.,
May 21, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- NiSource
(NYSE: NI) today announced a series of changes to and additional
responsibilities for its executive team, effective June 1. These changes will further advance the
company's commitment to customer and employee safety and service
across its seven-state operating area.
"The leadership changes announced today position NiSource to
support our enhanced focus on public safety, customer value and
operational excellence, and reflect the next steps in our strategy
to drive our company forward," said Joe
Hamrock, president and CEO of NiSource. "We are continuing
to take actions across the company to build the next generation of
gas and electric energy platforms. With a deep bench of talented
leaders throughout our organization, we are positioned to enhance
growth, and improve safety and environmental performance across
NiSource while renewing our commitments to our customers and
focusing on driving value for our shareholders."
The leaders, all reporting to Hamrock, include:
- Pablo Vegas, current executive
vice president and president, gas utilities, has been named
executive vice president, chief operating officer (COO) and president, NiSource Utilities. In this new role, Vegas will
oversee NiSource's gas and electric business segments. This
appointment will support the continued advancement of NiSource's
safety management system and align investment priorities across
NiSource's utility portfolio to deliver operational excellence
across its gas and electric segments.
- Donald Brown, current executive
vice president and chief financial officer (CFO), has been named
executive vice president, CFO and president, NiSource Corporate
Services. Brown's appointment reflects NiSource's focus on driving
value through enhanced capabilities, processes and systems across
our central business organizations including accounting, finance,
information technology, supply chain, business services, regulatory
services, and internal audit.
- Violet Sistovaris, current
executive vice president and president, NIPSCO, has been named
executive vice president and chief experience officer, responsible
for NiSource's customer service, human resources and communications
functions. In this new role, Sistovaris will bring a singular focus
to NiSource's employee and customer experience, focused on
enhancing transparency, innovation and customer value to its key
stakeholders.
- Shawn Anderson has been named
chief strategy and risk officer, highlighting the importance of
aligning NiSource's long-term strategy with stakeholder priorities,
including portfolio optimization, renewable energy and growth
strategies. This appointment reflects Anderson's key contributions
to the company's strategy development.
Based on the changes above, we are pleased to announce
additional key senior leadership changes:
- Mike Hooper, current senior vice
president regulatory, legislative affairs and strategy, NIPSCO, has
been named senior vice president and president, NIPSCO, reporting
to Vegas. In this capacity, Hooper will be responsible for
NiSource's electric business segment, including its advanced energy
and renewable portfolio strategy.
- Dan Creekmur, current president and COO, Columbia
Gas of Ohio, has been named senior
vice president and president, gas utilities, reporting to Vegas. In
this role Creekmur will have responsibility for NiSource's gas
utility companies in Ohio,
Indiana, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Kentucky and Maryland.
- Vince Parisi will be rejoining
NiSource on June 8 as president and
COO, Columbia Gas of Ohio,
reporting to Dan Creekmur.
"We are confident that these changes, along with the previously
announced elevation of Carrie
Hightman's role to executive vice president and chief legal
officer and CEO of Columbia Gas of Massachusetts and Chuck Shafer's role to chief safety officer,
position NiSource for continued strength going forward," Hamrock
concluded.
About NiSource
NiSource Inc. (NYSE: NI) is one of the
largest fully-regulated utility companies in the United States, serving approximately 3.5
million natural gas customers and 500,000 electric customers across
seven states through its local Columbia Gas and NIPSCO brands.
Based in Merrillville, Indiana,
NiSource's approximately 8,400 employees are focused on safely
delivering reliable and affordable energy to our customers and
communities we serve. NiSource is a member of the Dow Jones
Sustainability - North America Index and the Bloomberg Gender
Equality Index and has been named by Forbes magazine among
America's Best Large Employers since 2016. Additional information
about NiSource, its investments in modern infrastructure and
systems, its commitments and its local brands can be found at
www.nisource.com. Follow us at www.facebook.com/nisource,
www.linkedin.com/company/nisource or www.twitter.com/nisourceinc.
NI-F
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release
contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of federal
securities laws. Investors and prospective investors should
understand that many factors govern whether any forward-looking
statement contained herein will be or can be realized. Any one of
those factors could cause actual results to differ materially from
those projected. These forward-looking statements include, but are
not limited to, statements concerning our plans, strategies,
objectives, expected performance and any and all underlying
assumptions and other statements that are other than statements of
historical fact. All forward-looking statements are based on
assumptions that management believes to be reasonable; however,
there can be no assurance that actual results will not differ
materially. Factors that could cause actual results to differ
materially from the projections, forecasts, estimates and
expectations discussed in this press release include among other
things, continuing and potential future impacts from the COVID-19
pandemic; our debt obligations; any changes to our credit rating or
the credit rating of certain of our subsidiaries; our ability to
execute our growth strategy; changes in general economic, capital
and commodity market conditions; pension funding obligations;
economic regulation and the impact of regulatory rate reviews; our
ability to obtain expected financial or regulatory outcomes; our
ability to adapt to, and manage costs related to, advances in
technology; any changes in our assumptions regarding the financial
implications of the Greater Lawrence Incident; compliance with the
agreements entered into with the U.S. Attorney's Office to settle
the U.S. Attorney's Office's investigation relating to the Greater
Lawrence Incident; the pending sale of the Columbia Gas of
Massachusetts business, including
the terms and closing conditions under the Asset Purchase
Agreement; potential incidents and other operating risks associated
with our business; our ability to obtain sufficient insurance
coverage and whether such coverage will protect us against
significant losses; the outcome of legal and regulatory
proceedings, investigations, incidents, claims and litigation; any
damage to our reputation, including in connection with the Greater
Lawrence Incident; compliance with applicable laws, regulations and
tariffs; compliance with environmental laws and the costs of
associated liabilities; fluctuations in demand from residential and
commercial customers; economic conditions of certain industries;
the success of our electric generation strategy; the price of
energy commodities and related transportation costs; the
reliability of customers and suppliers to fulfill their payment and
contractual obligations; potential impairments of goodwill or
definite-lived intangible assets; changes in taxation and
accounting principles; the impact of an aging infrastructure; the
impact of climate change; potential cyber-attacks; construction
risks and natural gas costs and supply risks; extreme weather
conditions; the attraction and retention of a qualified workforce;
the ability of our subsidiaries to generate cash; our ability to
manage new initiatives and organizational changes; the performance
of third-party suppliers and service providers; changes in the
method for determining LIBOR and the potential replacement of the
LIBOR benchmark interest rate; and other matters in the "Risk
Factors" section of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal
year ended December 31, 2019, as
updated in our subsequent SEC filings, including our Quarterly
Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2020. All forward-looking statements
are expressly qualified in their entirety by the foregoing
cautionary statements. We undertake no obligation to, and expressly
disclaim any such obligation to, update or revise any
forward-looking statements to reflect changed assumptions, the
occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events or changes to the
future results over time or otherwise, except as required by
law.
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SOURCE NiSource Inc.