USA: Sempra Announces Key Executive Appointments

As part of the company’s ongoing leadership succession process, the board of directors of Sempra Energy​ today announced several key executive appointments, as well as a realignment of some of the company’s major subsidiaries.

Effective Oct. 1, Mark A. Snell will become president of Sempra Energy, overseeing the company’s infrastructure and international businesses.  Snell, who currently serves as Sempra Energy’s executive vice president and chief financial officer, succeeds Neal E. Schmale in the role of president.

As announced previously, Schmale, 64, is retiring later this year.  He will remain as chief operating officer and continue as a member of Sempra Energy’s board of directors until his retirement Nov. 1.

Also effective Oct. 1, Joseph A. Householder will succeed Snell as executive vice president and chief financial officer of Sempra Energy.  Householder currently serves as senior vice president, controller and chief accounting officer of the company.

Both Snell and Householder will report to Debra L. Reed, chief executive officer of Sempra Energy.  Effective Nov. 1, when Schmale retires, Michael W. Allman and Jessie J. Knight, Jr., the current chief executive officers of Southern California Gas Co. and San Diego Gas & Electric​, respectively, also will report directly to Reed.

Additionally, Reed announced today that, effective Jan. 1, 2012, Sempra Generation, Sempra Pipelines & Storage and Sempra LNG will be consolidated into two new operating units reporting to Snell:  Sempra International and Sempra U.S. Gas & Power.

All of Sempra Energy’s international operations and Sempra LNG will be part of Sempra International and led by George S. Liparidis.  Liparidis currently is president and chief executive officer of Sempra Pipelines & Storage.  Sempra Energy has operations in Mexico, Chile, Peru and Argentina.

Sempra Energy’s U.S. operations outside of its two California utilities will be part of Sempra U.S. Gas & Power and led by Jeffrey W. Martin.  Martin currently is president and chief executive officer of Sempra Generation.

After Sempra International begins operating next year, Darcel L. Hulse, 64, president and chief executive officer of Sempra LNG, will report to Snell as a senior advisor until Hulse’s planned retirement in May 2012.

Reed was elected chief executive officer of Sempra Energy in June.  As previously announced, Donald E. Felsinger continues as executive chairman of the company until his planned retirement in 2012.

“Today’s appointments continue our orderly leadership succession process,” said Reed.  “Over the past decade, Mark Snell and Joe Householder have served as key members of our executive team.  They have the management experience and demonstrated leadership to help advance our strategic vision.  Furthermore, we are making some structural changes in our organization to better align with the strategic direction of the company.”

Snell, 55, has served as executive vice president and chief financial officer of Sempra Energy since 2006.  Previously, he was group president of Sempra Global, the former umbrella for Sempra Energy’s businesses outside its two California utilities.  Snell first joined Sempra Energy in 2001 as vice president of corporate planning and development and, since, has served in a series of increasingly responsible management roles.  Previously, he held chief financial officer positions with Earth Tech, Inc., Dames & Moore​, Inc., and Latham & Watkins LLP​.  Snell holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from San Diego State University.

Householder, 56, has been senior vice president and controller of Sempra Energy since 2006.  He joined Sempra Energy in 2001 as vice president of corporate tax.  Previously, he was a partner in the national tax office of PriceWaterhouseCoopers LLP and also held several key management positions at Unocal Corp.  Householder holds a law degree from Loyola Law School and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from University of Southern California​.  

Liparidis, 52, has been president of Sempra Pipelines & Storage since 2005 and added the title of chief executive officer in 2006.  From 1998 to 2005, he led Sempra Energy’s international operations.  He first joined the Sempra Energy companies in 1980 as an associate engineer with San Diego Gas & Electric.  Liparidis holds a master’s degree in business administration from San Diego State University and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Utah.

Martin, 49, has been president and chief executive officer of Sempra Generation since 2010.  Previously, from 2006 to 2010, he was vice president of investor relations for Sempra Energy.  Martin first joined Sempra Energy in 2004 as a principal in the company’s strategic planning group.  Previously, he served in executive positions with TruePricing, Inc., Constellation New Energy and UniSource Energy Corp., and as an attorney in the firm Snell & Wilmer LLP.  Martin holds a law degree from the University of Miami, a master’s degree in administration from the University of Texas, El Paso, and a bachelor’s degree in engineering from the U.S. Military Academy.

[mappress]
Source: Sempra Energy, September 14, 2011;