ST. JOHN'S, NEWFOUNDLAND and LABRADOR - Barry Perry, President and CEO, Fortis Inc., announced today the appointment of Phonse Delaney as Executive Vice President, Chief Information Officer, and Gary Smith as Executive Vice President, Eastern Canadian and Caribbean operations, at Fortis Inc. Both appointments are effective June 1, 2017. He also announced the retirement of Earl Ludlow, currently Executive Vice President, Eastern Canadian and Caribbean operations, at the end of this year. Mr. Ludlow will serve as operational advisor to Mr. Perry until his retirement.
"Fortis has created a new role with responsibility for the Corporation's corporate technology strategy, including cybersecurity," said Mr. Perry. "Mr. Delaney will keep abreast of technology trends and position the Corporation to avail of and optimize technology opportunities through active collaboration with Fortis subsidiaries. He will also provide oversight to the Corporation's cybersecurity management." Mr. Delaney is currently President and CEO of FortisAlberta.
Mr. Perry recognized the contributions of Mr. Ludlow during his nearly 40 years with Fortis. "There are few who have been as highly regarded in the North American utility sector as Earl. We thank him for his unwavering commitment to our corporation and wish him all the best in his future endeavours."
Gary Smith succeeds Mr. Ludlow and will oversee the Corporation's investments in Newfoundland Power, Maritime Electric, FortisOntario, Fortis Turks and Caicos and Caribbean Utilities, and provide operational support across the organization. Eastern Canadian and Caribbean regulated utilities collectively serve approximately 450,000 customers. Mr. Smith is currently President and CEO of Newfoundland Power.
Regan O'Dea, currently Associate General Counsel with Fortis, is also promoted to Vice President, General Counsel.
These changes at Fortis created opportunities for our leading talent at two Fortis subsidiaries. "We are pleased that the Board of Directors of Newfoundland Power has appointed Jocelyn Perry, currently Chief Operating Officer, to be its new President and CEO. And, at FortisAlberta, the Board of Directors has appointed Karl Bomhof as its new President and CEO. Karl is currently Vice President, Corporate and Customer Service, at FortisAlberta," said Mr. Perry. Both appointments are effective June 1, 2017.
Mr. Perry congratulated those with new appointments and wished them well in their new roles.
Biographies follow.
Biographies
Phonse Delaney
Phonse served most recently as President and CEO of FortisAlberta. Prior to that appointment in 2014, he held the position of Executive Vice President, Operations, Engineering and Information Technology of FortisAlberta, a position he held since 2008.
Phonse began his career with the Fortis group of companies with Newfoundland Power in 1987, where he served in various roles including Vice President of Engineering and Operations. He holds a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering from Memorial University and is a member of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta. Mr. Delaney currently serves on the Board of Directors of FortisBC, the Canadian Electricity Association and the Western Energy Institute. He also serves on the Board of Directors of Honens, a Calgary-based arts organization. He previously served on the Board of Directors of Newfoundland Power, the Memorial University Advisory Council to the Faculty of Engineering and on the Board of Directors of the Newfoundland and Labrador Safety Council.
Gary Smith
Gary was most recently President and Chief Executive Officer of Newfoundland Power. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical) from Memorial University of Newfoundland. He has completed the Finance for Senior Executives Program at the Harvard Business School.
Gary has had an extensive career within the Fortis Group of Companies. From 1984 to 1999, he held progressive technical and management positions with Newfoundland Power. Gary was Manager of Operations with Maritime Electric Company Limited in Prince Edward Island and excelled in the position of Vice President of Operations and Engineering with FortisAlberta. In 2008, he returned to Newfoundland Power as Vice President of Customer Operations and Engineering, and was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer in August 2014. He currently serves as a Director on the Boards of Newfoundland Power, Maritime Electric, FortisOntario, Caribbean Utilities and FortisTCI.
Gary is a member of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Newfoundland, a member of the Steering Committee on Power Engineering for the Canadian Standards Association, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Electricity Association. He is Chair of the Board of Directors of the Dr. H. Bliss Murphy Cancer Care Foundation, Past Chair and member of the Board of Directors of Junior Achievement of Newfoundland and Labrador Board, and is a member of the Dean's Advisory Committee to the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science at Memorial University of Newfoundland.
Regan O'Dea
Regan joined Fortis Inc. in 2014. Previously, he worked in private practice in Newfoundland and Labrador where he represented the interests of Fortis Inc., and in-house with a national insurance company where he served as Director, Legal and Corporate Services.
Regan graduated from Mount Allison University with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Physics in 1997 and from the University of New Brunswick with a Bachelor of Laws in 2000. He was admitted to the Law Society of Newfoundland and Labrador in 2001. Regan has his CIC.C designation (Certified In-House Counsel-Canada) having contributed to the program's early development and has worked as part-time faculty at Memorial University business school.
Regan is active in the community coaching youth soccer, and previously served as President of the Newfoundland Chapter of the Canadian Corporate Counsel Association (CCCA) and member of certain national committees.