Hydro One Appoints COO and EVO, Strategy and Corporate Development
September 1, 2016
Hydro One Ltd. has appointed Paul H. Barry to the role of Executive Vice President, Strategy and Corporate Development, effective September 1, 2016, and Greg Kiraly to the role of Chief Operating Officer, effective September 12.
“Both Paul and Greg are seasoned executives, with significant experience in the North American utility market in transmission and distribution in the electricity, gas and water sectors,” says Mayo Schmidt, President and CEO, Hydro One Ltd. “We have now established a leadership team with considerable depth and expertise in delivering transformation, growth, operational and service excellence.”
Paul Barry has significant strategy, business development and financial expertise in the electric power, natural gas, and water utility sectors. Mr. Barry was recently Chief Executive Officer and founding partner of Public Infrastructure Partners LLC, a power and utility strategic advisor to leading private equity, infrastructure, and pension funds in the U.S., Canada, and Europe.
Mr. Barry’s prior executive leadership roles include Senior Vice President and Chief Development Officer, Head of Mergers & Acquisitions, and President of the commercial business for Duke Energy Corporation. At Duke Energy, Mr. Barry was responsible for executing over $50 billion of strategic transactions that transformed the company into the largest electric utility in North America. He served as CFO for Pepco Holdings, a Fortune 500 mid-Atlantic utility based in Washington, D.C., and was Vice President, Business Development, Energy Financial Services, for General Electric Company. Mr. Barry also served as Senior Advisor, City of Los Angeles, Department of Water and Power (LADWP), the largest municipal electric and water utility in the U.S.
“Paul Barry is a seasoned financial executive with a broad mix of skills and expertise in transmission and distribution in the energy and water sectors,” said Mayo Schmidt, President and CEO, Hydro One Ltd. “His strong strategy orientation and his experience leading major transformative initiatives will position Hydro One for success now and into the future.”
Mr. Barry earned an MBA from Harvard Business School, where he also attended the Executive Program, and a Bachelor of Science, magna cum laude, in Finance from Northeastern University.
As COO, Greg Kiraly will oversee planning, engineering, construction, and operations for Hydro One. Mr. Kiraly is a power and utilities executive with an extensive background in energy transmission and distribution, in both electricity and gas, having served in various executive leadership roles across three of the largest investor-owned utilities in the U.S.: Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), Commonwealth Edison (ComEd), and Public Service Electric & Gas Company (PSEG).
Mr. Kiraly most recently held the role of Senior Vice President, Electric Transmission and Distribution for PG&E in San Francisco, and also served in several other key executive assignments over the past eight years. Prior to joining PG&E, Mr. Kiraly worked for ComEd in Chicago from 2000-2008 during which time he held senior roles in the areas of Distribution System Operations, Construction and Maintenance, and Energy Delivery.
Prior to ComEd, Mr. Kiraly started his career at PSE&G in New Jersey, having served in various leadership roles over fifteen years, where his accountabilities focused on Health and Safety, Electric and Gas Distribution.
“As we transform Hydro One into a performance-driven company, it is critical to have executives of Greg Kiraly’s caliber on our team,” said Mayo Schmidt, President and CEO, Hydro One Ltd. “Greg has an outstanding track record delivering growth and operational excellence at top U.S. utilities as well as deep and extensive expertise in a complex North American electric and gas utility market.”
Mr. Kiraly earned a B.Sc. in Industrial Engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology, and an M.B.A. from Seton Hall. Mr. Kiraly also completed the Advanced Management program from Harvard Business School.
