The ENMAX Corporation (ENMAX) Board of Directors is pleased to announce that Wayne O'Connor has been appointed ENMAX President and Chief Executive Officer effective June 22, 2020.
Wayne's appointment results from an extensive North American recruitment process undertaken by the Board following the June 2019 announcement of the planned departure of ENMAX President and Chief Executive Officer, Gianna Manes. To support a smooth and orderly transition following Wayne's arrival, Gianna will remain as a member of the ENMAX Board until July 31, 2020.
Wayne comes to ENMAX with over 30 years of industry expertise and leadership spanning multiple Canadian and North American electricity and energy markets. He brings a depth of market, operational and infrastructure knowledge, and an inclusive approach to leading and building high-performance teams. Most recently, Wayne has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Nova Scotia Power leading a team of 1,700 employees and overseeing a portfolio of generation, transmission and distribution assets valued at over $4 billion. Prior to this role, Wayne held a series of executive leadership positions across Emera Inc. companies, including President and Chief Operating Officer of Emera Energy, Executive Vice President, Operations for Nova Scotia Power, and Executive Vice President, Business Development and Strategy for Emera Inc.
Wayne holds a close affinity with Alberta, having grown up in Brooks, Alberta and attended the University of Lethbridge where he earned a Bachelor of Management, Marketing. He served in various positions with TC Energy in Calgary, formerly TransCanada Pipelines, before moving to Eastern Canada in 2003. In addition to his professional accomplishments, Wayne contributes to the community with a focus on education and healthcare, including serving as Chair of the Board of Governors for Armbrae Academy and establishing a family foundation at the IWK Health Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
"On behalf of the Board, we want to thank Gianna for her leadership and invaluable contributions. We now welcome Wayne to lead ENMAX's next chapter, and his decades of experience and expertise will ensure ENMAX continues to advance its long-term strategy and build on its leadership position within our industry," said ENMAX Board Chair, Greg Melchin. "Wayne's people-focused leadership approach and dedication to creating value is well aligned with our mission and commitments to our Shareholder, customers, communities, talented employees and valued stakeholders in Alberta and Maine."
"I am privileged to take on this role and become part of the impressive team at ENMAX, and I want to recognize the organization's many accomplishments under Gianna's leadership," said Wayne O'Connor. "I appreciate the shared values I hold with the ENMAX team in serving customers, ensuring safe, reliable electricity, and contributing to the resiliency of our communities. I am excited to move forward together in continuing to advance ENMAX's strategy and commitments with a view to the future and the opportunities ahead."
About ENMAX
Headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, with operations across Alberta and Maine, ENMAX Corporation (ENMAX) is a leading provider of electricity services, products and solutions. Through its subsidiaries, ENMAX Power Corporation and Versant Power (formerly Emera Maine), ENMAX owns and operates transmission and distribution utilities in Calgary, Alberta and northern and eastern Maine, safely and reliably delivering electricity to all Calgary homes and businesses and more than 159,000 customers in Maine. Through ENMAX Energy Corporation, ENMAX owns and operates 1,509 MW of generation and offers a range of innovative electricity, natural gas, energy and engineering services to more than 674,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers across Alberta. ENMAX is a private corporation and The City of Calgary is its sole shareholder.