BERLIN, Conn., Sept. 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Northeast Utilities today announced new leadership for Yankee Gas Services Company (Yankee Gas) and Western Mass Electric Company (WMECO) as it separates the currently combined management of Yankee Gas and Connecticut Light & Power (CL&P) effective January 1, 2009.
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Rod Powell, currently president of WMECO, will be named president of Yankee Gas. Marc Andrukiewicz, currently director of construction at CL&P and Yankee Gas will be promoted to vice president Operations for Yankee Gas, reporting to Powell. Peter Clarke, vice president Shared Services for NU will succeed Powell at WMECO. Ray Necci, currently president CL&P and Yankee Gas will remain president of CL&P. Powell, Clarke and Necci will report to Lee Olivier, NU executive vice president and chief operating officer.
"In today's fluid business environment, organizations must be dynamic, not static. Our customers are looking to us for a portfolio of energy solutions to help them manage their energy use in the context of energy efficiency, renewable resources, fuel diversity and rising costs," stated Charles W. Shivery, NU chairman, president and chief executive officer. "Increasingly, gas is becoming the fuel of choice for many of our customers and with these organizational changes, we are well positioned to optimize the opportunities emerging from both the gas and electric markets and deliver those solutions to our customers."
Powell, 56, began his career at NU in 1978 as a budget analyst and has served in a variety of positions across the organization with diverse responsibilities including customer engineering and regulatory relations. In 2004 he assumed his current position leading WMECO where he was responsible for the overall operations of the company including serving 200,000 customers in 59 western Massachusetts communities.
Powell's extensive civic engagements include key business and community organizations in Massachusetts and Connecticut. He is a member of the Boards of Directors of: the Capital Workforce Partners, the Massachusetts Business Roundtable, the Massachusetts Alliance for Economic Development; the Governor of Connecticut's appointee to the Capital City Economic Development Authority; member of the Board of Trustees of the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning. He was recognized by Hartford Magazine as one of the most influential black businessmen in Connecticut and received the Connecticut African-American Affairs Commission's "Man of the Year" award in 2005. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Norfolk State College.
Andrukiewicz, 50, joined NU in 1980 as a project engineer in the Nuclear Engineering & Operations group. He has held several operational positions of increasing responsibility at Yankee Gas, including project director for the construction of the LNG plant in Waterbury, Connecticut. He is currently director of construction for CL&P and Yankee Gas responsible for construction projects involving betterment of overhead electric lines, underground electrical networks, substations and natural gas main and service installations. In his new position, Andrukiewicz will have responsibility for Yankee Gas operations and maintenance.
Andrukiewicz serves on the Board of Directors for Junior Achievement of Southwest New England. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Hartford, a Masters in Business Administration from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and is a licensed professional engineer in the state of Connecticut.
Clarke, 47, named president of WMECO, joined NU as director of Systems Projects for CL&P in 2002 after 18 years at NSTAR in Boston, Massachusetts. He became vice president of Customer Operations for CL&P in 2005 and in 2006 assumed responsibility for Yankee Gas Operations. In his current role as vice president Shared Services at NU, he was responsible for IT, purchasing, facilities, real estate and environmental services across the company. His broad operational background positions him well to maximize the opportunities at WMECO including those generated by the passage of the Massachusetts Green Communities Act, groundbreaking energy efficiency legislation that recognizes the valuable role utilities can play in providing solutions for customers.
Clarke is active in his community through youth sports programs and his church organization. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering, Power Systems from Northeastern University and a Masters in Business Administration from Boston University.
Northeast Utilities , a Fortune 500 energy company based in Connecticut, operates New England's largest energy delivery system. NU is committed to safety, reliability, environmental leadership and stewardship, and expanding energy options for its more than 2 million electricity and natural gas customers. For more information on Northeast Utilities and its subsidiaries, visit the NU family of Web sites at http://www.nu.com/.
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