Nilsen will be the first woman to lead the New York companies
Today, New York State Electric & Gas (NYSEG) and Rochester Gas and Electric (RG&E), subsidiaries of AVANGRID, Inc. (NYSE: AGR), announced the appointment of Patricia Nilsen as President and Chief Executive Officer effective July 1, 2022. Nilsen, who has been with the companies since 1992, will be the first woman in the companies’ nearly 175-year histories to serve in this leadership position. She succeeds Carl Taylor who, as previously announced, will retire on June 30, 2022.
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AVANGRID CEO Pedro Azagra and NYSEG and RG&E President and CEO Trish Nilsen
“This appointment marks an incredible moment for AVANGRID as we continue to break the glass ceiling and welcome Trish as the first woman President and CEO of NYSEG and RG&E,” said Pedro Azagra, CEO of AVANGRID. “Trish has proven throughout her career that she’s a leader focused on delivering great outcomes for our customers and communities. Trish joins a strong team at AVANGRID, with Catherin Stempien, our President and CEO of Networks, that will successfully guide the New York companies as we continue to invest in a more resilient, sustainable and smart system that will reliably serve our customers for generations to come.”
Ignacio Galán, Chairman of AVANGRID said “I congratulate Trish on the historical occasion of her appointment and welcome her to a leadership team whose diversity far outpaces that of many other U.S. utility companies.”
As President and CEO, Nilsen will oversee and lead the NYSEG and RG&E teams who serve more than 1.2 million electric and 579,000 natural gas customers across more than 40% of Upstate New York.
Nilsen brings to the role almost three decades of experience in the energy sector and a deep familiarity of NYSEG, RG&E and the communities they serve. She began with NYSEG in Human Resources before moving to Corporate Communications and Customer Service and has served in a number of high-profile leadership roles throughout her tenure, including leading emergency preparedness response for the companies. She most recently was Vice President of Reliability Assistance and Emergency Preparedness for AVANGRID and was responsible for compliance with NERC reliability standards, ensuring emergency readiness and response and serving as the COVID business liaison officer for Avangrid Networks. Prior, Nilsen served as Director of Emergency Preparedness where she led crisis response to system emergencies across all eight of AVANGRID’s electric and natural gas companies.
“It is an honor to lead the companies that I’ve dedicated my career to,” said Nilsen. “Since my first day on the job, I’ve always felt privileged to serve my community as a member of a dedicated AVANGRID team. We have an extraordinary responsibility here at NYSEG and RG&E to ensure we’re delivering safe and reliable electric and natural gas service to our customers and to work collaboratively with state and local officials and emergency responders. I take that responsibility seriously, and I look forward to furthering our commitment to our customers, communities and stakeholders.”
Nilsen holds a master’s degree in English from Syracuse University, a master’s degree in adult education from Elmira College and a bachelor’s degree in English and Fine Arts from Alfred University. She lives in Binghamton with her family and will report to Stempien.
About NYSEG: New York State Electric & Gas Corporation (NYSEG) is a subsidiary of AVANGRID, Inc. Established in 1852, NYSEG operates approximately 35,000 miles of electric distribution lines and 4,500 miles of electric transmission lines across more than 40% of upstate New York. It also operates more than 8,150 miles of natural gas distribution pipelines and 20 miles of gas transmission pipelines. It serves approximately 894,000 electricity customers and 266,000 natural gas customers. For more information, visit www.nyseg.com.
About RG&E: Rochester Gas and Electric Corporation (RG&E) is a subsidiary of AVANGRID, Inc. Established in 1848, RG&E operates approximately 8,800 miles of electric distribution lines and 1,100 miles of electric transmission lines. It also operates approximately 10,600 miles of natural gas distribution pipelines and 105 miles of gas transmission pipelines. It serves approximately 378,500 electricity customers and 313,000 natural gas customers in a nine-county region in New York surrounding the City of Rochester. For more information, visit www.rge.com.
About AVANGRID: AVANGRID, Inc. (NYSE: AGR) aspires to be the leading sustainable energy company in the United States. Headquartered in Orange, CT with approximately $40 billion in assets and operations in 24 U.S. states, AVANGRID has two primary lines of business: Avangrid Networks and Avangrid Renewables. Avangrid Networks owns and operates eight electric and natural gas utilities, serving more than 3.3 million customers in New York and New England. Avangrid Renewables owns and operates a portfolio of renewable energy generation facilities across the United States. AVANGRID employs more than 7,000 people and has been recognized by JUST Capital in 2021 and 2022 as one of the JUST 100 companies – a ranking of America’s best corporate citizens. In 2022, AVANGRID ranked second within the utility sector for its commitment to the environment and the communities it serves. The company supports the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals and was named among the World’s Most Ethical Companies in 2022 for the fourth consecutive year by the Ethisphere Institute. For more information, visit www.avangrid.com.
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