Ascendant Appoints New CEO: Walter Higgins
Ascendant Group Limited announced the appointment of Walter M. Higgins III as President and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Higgins succeeds Bermudian A.L. Vincent Ingham, who retired from the position on 31 December 2011 and presently serves as a Government Senator.
Mr. Higgins, who is American, has been a Director, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of two large U.S. energy companies including: Sierra Pacific Resources (now NVEnergy) which serves most of Nevada and parts of California; AGL Resources, the parent company of Atlanta Gas Light; as well as President and Chief Operating Officer of Louisville Gas & Electric, in Kentucky.
Mr. Higgins has held a number of senior positions within the industry, including at Portland General Electric, in Oregon where Mr. Higgins was Senior Vice President, Generation and Transmission, and Vice President, Distribution. In the mid-1970’s Mr. Higgins served as a technical assistant at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Mr. Higgins is a Nuclear Engineer, having trained at the U.S. Naval Academy. He also attended Stanford University, Executive Programme at the Graduate School of Business, the Public Utility Executive Course at the University of Idaho and some business studies at George Washington University, Graduate School of Business.
In making the announcement, Ascendant Group Chairman, J. Michael Collier said, “We are very pleased to be welcoming an energy professional of Mr. Higgins calibre to our organisation. His 37-year career has primarily revolved around the utility industry, initially working in utility services, regulation and later in top management positions. Among his successes, Mr. Higgins has led companies through deregulation, mergers, acquisitions, repositioning and succession planning.
“At the end of 2010, the Ascendant Group Board of Directors initiated a long-range leadership and succession planning strategy. The Board of Directors also adopted a number of strategic initiatives developed under the leadership of now Senator A.L.Vincent Ingham.
“Mr. Higgins will be working with the executive and senior management teams to deliver the Group’s strategic initiatives, the focus of which is primarily to grow and diversify business units, manage policy and regulatory risks and ensure adequate financial and human resource organisational capacity, with emphasis on succession planning,” Mr. Collier said
why is this man brought in to do this job i don’t understand , you can’t tell me a Bermudian isn’t qualified to do this job, all those people at Belco , there has to be someone that can do this job, i think this is a slap in the face to Bermudians , this is a Bermudian company
Why, you ask???? How about you give paragraphs 2 through 4 another read-through?!!
….Nuclear Engineer, Naval Academy, 37 years of experience, been a CEO of 2 of the largest US Energy Companies…..
That’s how someone beats out a Bermudian for a job in Bermuda. Plain and simple – waaaaaay more qualified.
While I wouldn’t have said it quite in those words – if the last guy could do it, just about anyone could….