National Grid US Appoints New CEO

National Grid US President Tom King announced that John J. Donleavy has been named Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for National Grid’s US operations.

National Grid is one of the U.S. largest energy companies, serving more than three million electric and three million natural gas customers in Massachusetts, New York and Rhode Island. National Grid also owns a fleet of generation plants on Long Island.

According to King, Donleavy has more than 30 years of experience successfully leading operations and overseeing transformational strategic initiatives at some of the nation’s leading electric and natural gas utilities.

“I am delighted that John has joined National Grid at this critical time in the energy industry,” King said. “His considerable experience and expertise will be invaluable as we work to create the utility of the future, delivering outstanding service to our customers, our communities and our region for years to come.”

Donleavy was President and CEO of Vermont Electric Power Company (VELCO), where he led an enterprise-wide business process transformation and spearheaded the largest capital infrastructure construction program in the company’s and Vermont’s history. His successful working partnerships with state and federal government leaders, energy regulators, regional transmission owners and operators, and the Army Corps of Engineers allowed them to rebuild and reinforce the state and regional transmission network. Under Donleavy’s leadership, VELCO was awarded the federally-sponsored and state-recognized SHARP accreditation for safety, earned federal and state recognition for environmental stewardship, received Project Management Institute’s 2008 Distinguished Project Award, and was named to Vermont Business Magazine’s Top 10 Places to work.

Reporting directly to King, Donleavy will oversee all aspects of National Grid’s US Operations including electric and gas transmission and distribution, generation, LNG, control center operations, emergency planning, project management and complex construction, resource planning, fleet and material management, and safety, environment and health.

Most recently, Donleavy was President of Lafayette Power Consulting (LPC). LPC provides expertise to Fortune 500 energy companies in their growth and business development strategy, including mergers and acquisitions, emergency planning and response, and consulting services to achieve business and operational excellence in electric generation, distribution and transmission.

Donleavy has also held positions with PSE&G and Exelon, and is a past Vice Chairman of the North American Transmission Forum.

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LNG World News Staff, March 25, 2013; Image: National Grid