Former American Electric Power Leader Brings 30-Year Track Record of Providing Safe, Reliable Electric Service
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) today announced the appointment of Wade Smith as Senior Vice President, Electric Operations. Mr. Smith begins on May 3, 2021 and will report to Adam Wright, PG&E’s Executive Vice President, Operations and Chief Operating Officer, who joined the company earlier this year.
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Wade Smith, Senior Vice President, Electric Operations, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (Photo: Business Wire)
“Wade brings the ideal skillset and background to help us deliver safe and reliable energy for our customers and hometowns. He is a proven leader with extensive electric operations expertise and industry knowledge. On top of that, he brings a big heart and a strong passion for people. I am confident Wade will hit the ground running and advance our efforts to become a better and safer energy company,” said Mr. Wright.
Mr. Smith will be responsible for PG&E’s electric transmission and distribution operations and maintenance, as well as emergency preparedness and response efforts. While his primary focus will be on executing the work needed to serve customers and maintain PG&E’s electric grid on a day-to-day basis, Mr. Smith will also work in close coordination with PG&E’s new Wildfire Risk Organization, set up to ensure all wildfire mitigation work is executed consistently and effectively.
PG&E has made several key additions to its leadership team this year, bringing in proven leaders with significant energy, transformation, operations and safety experience.
“I am honored to join PG&E at such an important time for the company. I’ve spent the past three decades in the energy industry, and I wholeheartedly believe in the power of operational excellence to fundamentally strengthen a company for the long term. I’m looking forward to bringing my experience to PG&E and locking arms with the rest of the PG&E team to deliver results for our customers and the communities we serve,” said Mr. Smith.
Mr. Smith has over 30 years of comprehensive operations and financial management experience in the utility industry. He spent the past three decades at American Electric Power (AEP), serving in various leadership roles. AEP is one of the largest utilities in the U.S., serving over 5 million customers across 11 states.
Most recently, Mr. Smith was Senior Vice President, Grid Development, overseeing transmission planning, engineering, project management, construction and system operations teams. In this role, Mr. Smith executed AEP’s $20 billion transmission capital investment program and led efforts to improve reliability and increase operational efficiency in overseeing a 40,000-mile transmission system. He also brings experience in asset management and effective work prioritization, including managing R&D programs focused on new technologies and developing safe, reliable and compliant policies and procedures.
Previously, Mr. Smith served as President and Chief Operating Officer for AEP Texas; Vice President, Transmission Engineering and Project Services for AEP Service Corporation; and Director, Gas Turbine and Joint Venture Operations for AEP Service Corporation; among other operations and engineering roles at the company.
About PG&E
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is a combined natural gas and electric utility serving more than 16 million people across 70,000 square miles in Northern and Central California. For more information, visit pge.com and pge.com/news.
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