Leadership Lyceum: A CEO's Virtual Mentor
The Leadership Lyceum: A CEO’s Virtual Mentor podcast series provides situational advice to a wide audience of leaders and boards of directors through conversations with those that have been there. The podcast brings unprecedented, one-on-one access to top, current and retired, CEOs and Directors of Boards and provides beneficial information and valuable insight on situational and topical issues that confront CEOs and Boards from those that have faced them before - often in dramatic circumstances. Consider it a “Virtual Mentor” for CEOs and other leaders, because let’s face it – it’s lonely at the top.
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A Regulatory Primer for Board Members with Non Regulatory Backgrounds with Dr. Mark Jamison
05/12/2023
A Regulatory Primer for Board Members with Non Regulatory Backgrounds with Dr. Mark Jamison
Welcome to Episode 27, Season 7 of A CEO’s Virtual Mentor® Are you a new board member serving on a regulated company board, but from a non regulatory background? This episode is directed especially to newer board members and executives in utility companies regulated at the state and even federal levels. My guest in this episode is Dr. Mark Jamison. Dr. Jamison is Director and Gerald Gunter Professor, Public Utility Research Center at the Warrington College of Business at the University of Florida in Gainesville. PURC is an internationally recognized academic center dedicated to research and to providing training in utility regulation and strategy to support effective utility policy, regulation, management, and leadership. PURC helps government and industry officials develop efficient utility infrastructure to better meet the needs of their customers. PURC’s view is educated executives, employees, and board members, organizations benefit from better decision making and thus a more promising future. Our discussion today is merely a survey of the history, development, structure, and process of utility regulation with advice on a few best practices in regulatory affairs posture and approach. Lyceum sees fitting coverage of the vast subject of regulation as well beyond this brief podcast. This is an appetizer. For the main course - and to help you navigate more thoroughly through the changing regulatory landscape - please contact our guest Dr. Mark Jamison at the Public Utility Research Center. For more about PURC, its ever-expanding body of research and its training courses, conferences and other events see the PURC webpage thought the Warrington College of Business at the University of Florida. See important hyperlinks in the program’s album notes. Program Guide A CEO’s Virtual Mentor Episode 27: A Regulatory Primer for Board Members with Non Regulatory Backgrounds 0:00 Introduction to the program and to guest, Dr. Mark Jamison 3:50 Part 1: The history of regulation 15:25 Break 1 15:45 Part 2: The structure of the regulatory commission 21:49 Break 2 22:09 Part 3: How does the regulator set prices? 30:01 Break 3 30:44 Part 4: Regulatory risk and strategies for dealing with risk 52:27 Closing comments We would like to express our special thanks to the clients of Lyceum Leadership Consulting that enable us to bring you this podcast. Thanks for listening. We can’t improve without your feedback – write us through our website and subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts. See you next time. Informative and Helpful Links PURC Webpage: Links to Biographies of Guests: Your host Thomas B. Linquist is the Founder and Managing Director of Lyceum Leadership Consulting and Lyceum Leadership Productions. Over his 18 years in management and leadership consulting he has served a wide array of corporate clients. This includes leadership assessment and search for chief executive officers, chief financial officers, chief operating officers and boards of directors. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and over his 32-year career has served in a variety of roles: as an engineer with Shell Oil Company, a banker with ABN AMRO Bank, and as treasurer was the youngest corporate officer in the 150+ year history at Peoples Energy Company in Chicago. He is an expert on hiring and promotion decisions and leadership development. Over the course of his search career, he has interviewed thousands of leaders. Program Disclaimer The only purpose of the podcast is to educate, inform and entertain. The information shared is based on the collection of experiences of each of the guests interviewed and should not be considered or substituted for professional advice. Guests who speak in this podcast express their own opinions, experience and conclusions, and neither The Leadership Lyceum LLC nor any company providing financial support endorses or opposes any particular content, recommendation or methodology discussed in this podcast. Follow Leadership Lyceum on: Our website: LinkedIn: Email us: This podcast Leadership Lyceum: A CEO’s Virtual Mentor has been a production of The Leadership Lyceum LLC. Copyright 2023. All rights reserved.
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The Energy Within Us. A wide-ranging discussion about the upbringing and developmental experiences of four pioneering corporate leaders
03/12/2023
The Energy Within Us. A wide-ranging discussion about the upbringing and developmental experiences of four pioneering corporate leaders
Welcome to Episode 26, Season 7, of the Leadership Lyceum: A CEO's Virtual Mentor®. This episode coupled with the prior Episode 25 on Overcoming Homophily forms two episodes themed to span both Black History Month and Women’s History Month. I'm joined in this program by four of five women who on May 1st, 2019, published together a collective autobiographical book titled The Energy Within Us. It is their stories across the arc of their lives from childhood environments and experiences that shaped them to, and through, their long careers in executive leadership roles in the energy industry. These women have a great deal in common. They're all dear friends. They're all accomplished executive leaders in the energy industry and their careers. They're all giving back by serving broader leadership roles in corporate and non-for-profit boardrooms and social service organizations. They all have unbounded generosity of spirit. And they all, as you will hear, exude the energy within themselves. The discursive style of our interview revealed a wealth of advice for current and future business leaders especially in the realm of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Topics covered include – role models, mentors and coaches, courage to challenge the status quo and hold leaders accountable, assumptions and misunderstandings, barriers to developing instrumental networks and receiving developmental feedback. Program Guide A CEO’s Virtual Mentor Episode 26 The Energy Within Us A wide-ranging discussion about the upbringing and developmental experiences of four pioneering corporate leaders 0:00 Introduction to the program and to guests and authors Telisa Toliver, Carolyn Green, Joyce Hayes Giles, and Hilda Pinnix-Ragland. 2:54 Part 1: What motivated the authors to write their autobiographies? 15:04 Break 1 15:43 Part 2: Upbringing, Environment, and Foundational Experiences 15:49 Author Joyce Hayes Giles and segregated Mississippi 22:01 Background on Medgar Evers 24:00 Audio clip of speech of Medgar Evers 27:56 Audio clip of speech of Myrlie Evers Williams 31:35 Break 2 31:51 Author Hilda Pinnix-Ragland and the North Carolina farming community 36:49 Author Telisa Toliver and growing up in white communities in Oklahoma 43:08 Break 3 43:32 Part 3 Formative Decisions, Influencers, and Mentors 52:15 What is misunderstood about people? 56:02 Break 4 56:46 Part 4 Barriers to Professional Development: Forming Instrumental Networks and Critical Feedback and Coaching. 1:09:24 Break 5 1:09:42 Part 5: Conclusion and Closing Comments and Advice from the Authors 1:12:51 End of Program and Preview of Episode 27, a primer on the regulatory construct that regulated utilities operate within. We would like to express our special thanks to the clients of Lyceum Leadership Consulting that enable us to bring you this podcast. Thanks for listening. We can’t improve without your feedback – write us through our website and subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts. See you next time. Informative and Helpful Links Amazon Link to the book. The Energy Within Us Links to Biographies of Guests Joyce Hayes Giles Carolyn Green Telisa Toliver Hilda Pinnix Ragland Your host Thomas B. Linquist is the Founder and Managing Director of Lyceum Leadership Consulting and Lyceum Leadership Productions. Over his 18 years in management and leadership consulting he has served a wide array of corporate clients. This includes leadership assessment and search for chief executive officers, chief financial officers, chief operating officers and boards of directors. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and over his 32-year career has served in a variety of roles: as an engineer with Shell Oil Company, a banker with ABN AMRO Bank, and as treasurer was the youngest corporate officer in the 150+ year history at Peoples Energy Company in Chicago. He is an expert on hiring and promotion decisions and leadership development. Over the course of his search career, he has interviewed thousands of leaders. Thanks for listening. We can’t improve without your feedback – write us through our website and subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts. Please rate us and spread the word among your fellow executives and board colleagues. Program Disclaimer The only purpose of the podcast is to educate, inform and entertain. The information shared is based on the collection of experiences of each of the guests interviewed and should not be considered or substituted for professional advice. Guests who speak in this podcast express their own opinions, experience and conclusions, and neither The Leadership Lyceum LLC nor any company providing financial support endorses or opposes any particular content, recommendation or methodology discussed in this podcast. Follow Leadership Lyceum on: Our website: LinkedIn: Twitter: @LeaderLyceum Email us: Thanks for listening. We can’t improve without your feedback – write us through our website and subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts. Please rate us and spread the word among your fellow executives and board colleagues. This podcast Leadership Lyceum: A CEO’s Virtual Mentor has been a production of The Leadership Lyceum LLC. Copyright 2023. All rights reserved.
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Why is Achieving Diversity So Hard? Overcoming Homophily and Our Own Human Nature with Sociologist James Cook
02/24/2021
Why is Achieving Diversity So Hard? Overcoming Homophily and Our Own Human Nature with Sociologist James Cook
Welcome to Episode 25, Season 6, of the Leadership Lyceum: A CEO's Virtual Mentor®. This is part one of two episodes aimed as a celebration of Black History Month. In August 2020, USA Today reported that 11% of the directors across the 50 largest companies in the S&P 100 are black. On the other hand, gender diversity on boards has shown better improvement over the last seven years. BoardEx just released data that revealed gender diversity on corporate boards in the US increased about 10% over the seven-year period from 2014 to 2020, that is from 19% to 28.8%, a year on year average growth rate of about 1.4%. France and Norway are at 44% and 39% respectively, but their growth rate is slower than the US. You see, they started from a higher percentage level in the first place. We agree with all the benefits of having diverse boards, but we think that a 1.4% growth rate is not even close to good enough. Since the 2017 founding of our sister company, Lyceum Leadership Consulting, we’ve placed diverse candidates in 24 out of 43 of our board and executive searches, or 56%. It's a track record we're proud of, but we can do better. If we assume the good intentions of everyone involved in board selection decisions to improve upon those numbers, then what is holding us all back? What is causing the stubborn persistence of diversity levels across the world? Lyceum Leadership Consulting thesis is that we are battling our own human nature. In my search work over the last decade and a half, I often observed that a missing link in creating boardroom diversity is often a lack of diversity in the professional networks of the board of directors or the nominating committee themselves. As often, candidates are identified and selected from these networks. In order to understand what causes a lack of network diversity to exist, it's instructive to understand sociology applied to these social networks. In this program, we examine ways of counteracting our own human nature to ultimately make significant improvements in boardroom and executive diversity. Joining me on the program is Associate Professor of Sociology, James M. Cook, from the University of Maine. One of Dr. Cook's areas of expertise is in the area of social network analysis. I discovered Professor Cook's work in my own research on this perplexing issue. I was especially intrigued and informed by an academic paper that he co-authored in 2001 called Birds of a Feather: Homophily in Social Networks. Program Guide A CEO’s Virtual Mentor Episode 25 Why is Achieving Diversity So Hard? Overcoming Homophily and Our Own Human Nature with Sociologist James Cook 0:00 Introduction to the program and Dr. James M. Cook, Associate Professor of Sociology, from the University of Maine. 4:26 Definition of Homophily 7:25 Homophily in the boardroom setting and the limitations of the board 11:20 Break 1 11:19 Social Capital: Bonding and Bridging 14:34 Break 2 14:47 Part 1 of the Framework for Overcoming Homophily: Finding people who are different 25:35 Break 3 26:19 Part 1 (continued): Finding, or being found, at the individual level 33:46 Break 4 34:29 Part 2 of the Framework for Overcoming Homophily: Uniting through the instability that bringing people who are different causes 40:24 Break 4 40:51 Part 3 of the Framework for Overcoming Homophily: Managing conflicts that are bound to arise. 44:15 Break 5 44:38 Conclusion: Intergroup relations and advice toward improvement in diversity outcomes 55:06 End of Program and Preview of Episode 26, part 2 of 2, in celebration of Black History Month We would like to express our special thanks to the clients of Lyceum Leadership Consulting that enable us to bring you this podcast. Thanks for listening. We can’t improve without your feedback – write us through our website and subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts. See you next time. Informative and Helpful Links Biographies of Guests Dr. James Cook Dr. James Cook is currently an Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Maine at Augusta. His primary areas of interest in research and teaching are political organizations, social networks, social media, and the sociology of gender. That interest is reflected in the development of new courses at UMA in Social Networks and Analyzing Social Media and in community service (where his current projects are attempts to deepen student connections with the UMA Community Gardens civic engagement project and the Maine State Legislature). His present research interests include applications of social network and social identity theory to social media, the development and testing of a social network model of state legislators, and the application of workplace theories of glass ceilings and escalators to explain patterns of cooperation among legislators along and across lines of gender. He is also engaged in research regarding the social network characteristics of publicly-communicating groups of sexual minorities. Dr. James Cook received a B.A. in Sociology from Oberlin College in 1993 and M.A. and Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Arizona in 1996 and 2000, respectively. Your host Thomas B. Linquist is the Founder and Managing Director of Lyceum Leadership Consulting and Lyceum Leadership Productions. Over his 16 years in management and leadership consulting he has served a wide array of corporate clients. This includes leadership assessment and search for chief executive officers, chief financial officers, chief operating officers and boards of directors. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and over his 30-year career has served in a variety of roles: as an engineer with Shell Oil Company, a banker with ABN AMRO Bank, and as treasurer was the youngest corporate officer in the 150+ year history at Peoples Energy Company in Chicago. He is an expert on hiring and promotion decisions and leadership development. Over the course of his search career, he has interviewed thousands of leaders. Thanks for listening. We can’t improve without your feedback – write us through our website and subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts. Please rate us and spread the word among your fellow executives and board colleagues. Program Disclaimer The only purpose of the podcast is to educate, inform and entertain. The information shared is based on the collection of experiences of each of the guests interviewed and should not be considered or substituted for professional advice. Guests who speak in this podcast express their own opinions, experience and conclusions, and neither The Leadership Lyceum LLC nor any company providing financial support endorses or opposes any particular content, recommendation or methodology discussed in this podcast. Follow Leadership Lyceum on: Our website: LinkedIn: Twitter: @LeaderLyceum Email us: Thanks for listening. We can’t improve without your feedback – write us through our website and subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts. Please rate us and spread the word among your fellow executives and board colleagues. This podcast Leadership Lyceum: A CEO’s Virtual Mentor has been a production of The Leadership Lyceum LLC. Copyright 2021. All rights reserved.
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Inspiring award-winning performances from your talent: Crossover applications to business leadership from the theatrical development process with Charles Newell, Artistic Director of Court Theatre in Chicago
12/18/2020
Inspiring award-winning performances from your talent: Crossover applications to business leadership from the theatrical development process with Charles Newell, Artistic Director of Court Theatre in Chicago
I'm joined in the program today by Charles Newell, Artistic Director of the renowned and critically acclaimed Court Theatre in Chicago.
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The Anatomy of a Private Equity Investment: from M&A roll-up, to IPO, and beyond with Advanced Disposal Services’ Chairman and CEO Richard Burke
06/21/2019
The Anatomy of a Private Equity Investment: from M&A roll-up, to IPO, and beyond with Advanced Disposal Services’ Chairman and CEO Richard Burke
I'm joined by Richard Burke, Chairman and CEO of publicly-traded solid waste services company, Advanced Disposal Services. We will be discussing Richard's leadership in a company that delivers a service punch well above its $1.6 billion weight class. We'll cover ADS's evolution from private equity backed roll-up of solid waste businesses through its IPO in October of 2016 and right up to just prior to the announcement on April 15, 2019, that Waste Management would purchase Advanced Disposal.
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A Remarkable Corporate Turnaround: The “Take-Private” of Talen Energy with CEO Ralph Alexander and CFO Alex Hernandez
05/17/2019
A Remarkable Corporate Turnaround: The “Take-Private” of Talen Energy with CEO Ralph Alexander and CFO Alex Hernandez
Today I'm joined by Talen Energy’s CEO, Ralph Alexander, and CFO, Alex Hernandez. We'll be discussing the remarkable turnaround of Talen Energy that Ralph and Alex have been leading.
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Climate Change as the Foremost Challenge of Our Generation with Dr. Ralph Izzo, Chairman, President and CEO of PSEG
04/19/2019
Climate Change as the Foremost Challenge of Our Generation with Dr. Ralph Izzo, Chairman, President and CEO of PSEG
I am joined by Dr. Ralph Izzo, CEO of PSEG in Newark, NJ. This Earth Day Episode covers a number of topics relevant to our Mother Earth including the subject of climate change which Dr. Izzo considers to be the foremost challenge of our generation. Our sweeping climate-oriented discussion ranges from the utility industry’s role in combatting climate change, cognitive biases in political decisioning, nuclear energy’s opportunities in the war on climate change.
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The ESG Canvas for Corporate Reporting with Pat Kampling, Chairman & CEO of Alliant Energy
03/19/2019
The ESG Canvas for Corporate Reporting with Pat Kampling, Chairman & CEO of Alliant Energy
I am joined by Pat Kampling, CEO of Alliant Energy in Madison Wisconsin. This Episode 20 includes a discussion on ‘sustainability’ and the quickly emerging and rapidly evolving area of ESG criteria. Institutional investors are demanding action and attention to ESG and CEO’s are responding by charting their companies’ course. This is not without tension for corporate management teams. We’ll discuss with Pat how she and Alliant have been addressing ESG and hopefully put you at ease.
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Redefining Leadership in a Traditional Industry with Mary Powell, CEO of Green Mountain Power
02/11/2019
Redefining Leadership in a Traditional Industry with Mary Powell, CEO of Green Mountain Power
I'm joined by Mary Powell, CEO of Green Mountain Power in Vermont. This Episode 19 presents a unique CEO profile in Mary Powell. Many of the CEO’s that we have featured in the past have come from science, technology and engineering disciplines or law or finance backgrounds. Mary’s creative and liberal arts background and variety of experience renders her a uniquely effective leader in a utility industry that most often abides by tradition.
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Leading a Regional Electricity Grid: Transition to a Clean Energy Future with Gordon van Welie, CEO of ISO New England
01/15/2019
Leading a Regional Electricity Grid: Transition to a Clean Energy Future with Gordon van Welie, CEO of ISO New England
I joined Gordon Van Welie, CEO of ISO New England for Episode 17 in his office just outside of Springfield, Mass. The general population would likely not be aware of the pivotal and critical role that an independent system operator plays in the reliable delivery of electricity across large regions of the United States moment by moment, 24/7.
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Leading an Industry Association with Sue Kelly, CEO of the American Public Power Association
12/17/2018
Leading an Industry Association with Sue Kelly, CEO of the American Public Power Association
This Episode 18 presents a CEO’s leadership over a unique type of organization – the industry association. Industry associations perform play many complex roles for their membership including: as advocate for an industry’s position on political, legislative, and regulatory issues; as information source on current and emerging issues from an informed frontline position; as promoter of the industry, its people and their accomplishments, and as educator for the professionalism of its membership.
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Turnarounds, Veterans, and a Tribute to Senator John McCain with Don Brandt, CEO of Pinnacle West
09/10/2018
Turnarounds, Veterans, and a Tribute to Senator John McCain with Don Brandt, CEO of Pinnacle West
Interview with Don Brandt, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Pinnacle West (Ticker: PNW) and the turnaround of the company’s principal subsidiary, regulated utility Arizona Public Service through regulatory processes; also hiring military veterans and reservists; and, a tribute to the late Senator John McCain.
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“Earth Day Episode” with Ralph Cavanagh, Natural Resources Defense Council
04/24/2018
“Earth Day Episode” with Ralph Cavanagh, Natural Resources Defense Council
Climate Change and Clean Energy with the NRDC
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The Philanthropy Episode - A Holiday Double Feature
12/16/2017
The Philanthropy Episode - A Holiday Double Feature
Our holiday special double episode on Philanthropy. Featuring Jennifer Sampson, CEO United Way Metro Dallas; Nick Akins CEO of AEP; Joe Hamrock, CEO of NiSource; George Barrett, CEO of Cardinal Health; Matt Habash, Mid-Ohio Food Bank; and Bernard DelGiorno benefactor of the University of Chicago.
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The Big Shareholder Activism Episode – The Escalation Path
10/30/2017
The Big Shareholder Activism Episode – The Escalation Path
The Big Shareholder Activism Episode – The Escalation Path
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Shareholder Activism; Board Governance & Effectiveness; and Conversation with WEC Energy CEO, Allen Leverett
09/04/2017
Shareholder Activism; Board Governance & Effectiveness; and Conversation with WEC Energy CEO, Allen Leverett
Shareholder Activism – The Vulnerability Framework; Board Governance & Effectiveness; and Conversation with WEC Energy Group CEO Allen Leverett
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Board Governance & Effectiveness, Shareholder Activism, and Utility Consolidation and M&A
07/01/2017
Board Governance & Effectiveness, Shareholder Activism, and Utility Consolidation and M&A
A CEO’s Virtual Mentor Episode 11 Board Governance & Effectiveness, Shareholder Activism, and Utility Industry Consolidation and M&A Guests include: Corporate governance expert, Tanuja Dehne Paul Bonavia, Retired Chairman and CEO of UNS Energy Chris Young, Managing Director and head of the Contested Situations Group, Credit Suisse If you did not join us for our last episode, Episode 10 which was a special podcast on Innovation, you may have missed the announcement that we formed two companies under Leadership Lyceum’s brand: Lyceum Leadership Consulting which provides executive and board of director’s search, board effectiveness review, and an array of services for successor development and board-readiness. And Lyceum Leadership Productions which brings you this podcast. We also announced that we would be expanding the programming of the episodes this summer. Well happy summer! This is the first of our expanded episodes. Welcome to Episode 11 which expands the programming into three segments. We will continue to bring you the in-depth CEO and Director interviews around compelling business situations as a main middle segment, Segment II. That main segment will be bookended over the next three Episodes with shorter Segments I and III. At least over the next three episodes, Segment I will cover Board and Corporate Governance Best Practices on one hand and Segment III will cover the consequences of deficiencies in corporate governance, namely shareholder activism, on the other. We hope you enjoy this expanded coverage which we will be refining over the next few episodes. So please subscribe through iTunes and give us feedback on the new programming. Tell us about leadership situations and subjects that you are interested in us exploring. Please visit our website for all of our archived media and offerings. We will be right back to start the program. Welcome back to this newly expanded Episode 11 of the Leadership Lyceum: A CEO’s Virtual Mentor. We welcome three fabulous guests to this Episode. Introduction to Episode 11 Program In Segment I the first of a series on Corporate Governance and Board Effectiveness, we welcome governance expert Tanuja Dehne. Tanuja serves on two public company boards and is a frequent speaker on board governance -- most recently she was part of the instructor panel for the NACD Advanced Director Professionalism program earlier this month. In Segment II we welcome Paul Bonavia, retired Chairman and CEO of UNS Energy (better known as Tucson Electric Power). We will explore the triggers and interconnected events that have led to remarkable levels of consolidation in the electric utility industry and Paul’s leadership of the sale of UNS to Fortis in August 2014. In Segment III, the first of a series on Shareholder Activism, we will be joined by Chris Young, Managing Director and Head of the Contested Situations Group at Credit Suisse. In the first part of this series we will cover the history of activism and the market for corporate governance, growth in the asset class, and answer a fundamental question: what do activists want? We will be right back with Segment one with Tanuja Dehne on Corporate Governance and Board Effectiveness. Segment I: Governance & Board Matters “Corporate Governance and Board Effectiveness” I am delighted to be joined by Tanuja Dehne. Tanuja is a corporate governance expert and serves as an independent director on two NYSE-listed, company boards: Advanced Disposal Services, a $1.4 billion revenue environmental services company and newly IPO’d, Granite Point, a publicly-traded commercial mortgage REIT. She also dedicates her time to not-for-profit board service including the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, Young Audiences, HomeFront NJ, and Sustainable Jersey. That ends Segment I with Tanuja Dehne. Join us for our continuing conversation with Tanuja next month in Episode 12 --- we’ll discuss derailers to effective boards and effective leadership styles in the boardroom. And shall I say it? Why not. As a self-promoting reminder, the Lyceum Leadership Consulting does provide third party, Board Effectiveness Review. Segment II: Main Feature Interview “Special Guest Paul Bonavia, Retired Chairman and CEO of UNS Energy” You may have read our article in the May 2017 issue of Public Utilities Fortnightly about our next guest - Paul Bonavia. By sheer coincidence, I wrote that article for Fortnightly on April 1 of 2017 in Chicago Illinois. Exactly ten years before that on April 1, 2007, the Illinois General Assembly passed a resolution designating April 1st as “Cheap Trick Day” in Illinois. I am giddy with delight to come as close as I can to a Rolling Stone reporter in featuring this conversation with drummer Paul Bonavia, who in his younger days was in bands with members that would go on to form Cheap Trick. While I’m sure some subset of our listenership is interested in Paul’s pre-utility rock and roll lifestyle, this conversation was directed toward Paul’s “alternative” lifestyle as a CEO of an investor-owned utility and the sale of the company he led --- to Fortis in August of 2014. Segment III: Special Subjects Segment “First of a Mini-Series on Shareholder Activism with Chris Young, Head of Contested Situations at Credit Suisse” Welcome to our final segment in this Episode on the dramatic, consternation-filled subject of shareholder activism. That’s Orson Welles in his introduction to his panic-producing, 1938 radio masterpiece War of the Worlds. For the Lyceum, an allegorical backdrop of an environment well-suited to some “alien” form of activism perhaps? This is our mini-series on Shareholder Activism, and we are joined by Chris Young, Managing Director and Head of the Contested Situations Group at Credit Suisse. In this first part of this series we will cover the history of activism and the market for corporate governance, growth in the asset class, and answer a fundamental question: what do activists want? As a backdrop, The Wall Street Journal reported recently that shareholder activism, which has been a perennial nuisance for chief executives, is now becoming an existential threat. Activists are going beyond just settling for board seats and are waging campaigns that target changes in top management at the outset. So far in 2017, and this is going back a few weeks right now, but so far in 2017 activists have started nine campaigns targeting top management. This is the fastest pace on record according to FactSet. I have represented two clients this year from the power and utility industry on board searches in the face of shareholder activism. While two companies experiencing activism does not constitute a trend, my clients’ experience of late certainly seemed to warrant raising awareness with our CEO’s Virtual Mentor listenership by featuring this fascinating and informative conversation with Chris Young. As we were in production on this podcast, Daniel Loeb, founder of activist investor Third Point, demonstrated this activism genius by accumulating a small 1.25% stake in Nestle, published a letter on a Sunday and two days later, Nestle announced a $20.8 billion share buyback as well as clarifying other strategic objectives. Closing of Segment III That ends Segment III. We will continue this discussion with Chris Young in late July with Episode 12. We’ll cover more on the “mainstreaming” of activism as an asset class and we will take apart the activist’s playbook and take you step by step through the Escalation Path. Preview of Next Month’s Episode 12 We will be back with Episode 12 at the end of July featuring more on corporate governance with Tanuja Dehne and activism with Chris Young and an interview with Allen Leverett, President and CEO of WEC Energy Group in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. WEC has been highly acquisitive over the last decade, Allen and I will discuss the company’s significant growth that has led to a uniquely different collection of operating assets over that time period. Final Spot: Famous Last Words As we sign off we wrap with another new spot on our program called “Famous Last Words”. In keeping with our War of the Worlds – Shareholder Activism allegory we will leave you to be restored to the real world in the good hands of, an out-of-character, Mr. Orson Welles. Thanks for joining us. We can’t improve without your feedback – write us through our website and subscribe on iTunes. See you next time. Informative and Helpful Links The Lyceum’s Well-Tuned Governance Model War of the Worlds Link to one the Lyceum’s favorite websites – archive.org. Click below to listen directly to the chilling and timeless October 30, 1938 CBS airing of Orson Welles’ The Mercury Theater on the Air adaptation of H.G. Wells’ novel The War of the Worlds Wiki links about the radio drama: Program Guide Episode 11 “Board Governance & Effectiveness, Shareholder Activism Mini Series, Utility Industry Consolidation and M&A with Paul Bonavia, Retired Chairman and CEO of UNS Energy” 0:30 Introduction to new programming of Episodes 2:12 Introduction to specific programming in this Episode 11 3:47 Segment I: Corporate Governance and Board Effectiveness with Tanuja Dehne 6:15 Break 6:40 Segment I (cont.): Why should boards care about measuring effectiveness as a board? 14:05 Wrap up of Segment I on governance and preview of next month’s Episode 12 with Tanuja. 14:54 Introduction of Segment II: Interview with Paul Bonavia, Retired CEO of UNS Energy 16:13 Segment II: Interview with Paul Bonavia 33:06 Break 33:33 Segment II (cont.): Interview with Paul Bonavia 41:30 End of Interview with Paul Bonavia 41:53 Introduction to Segment III – Shareholder Activism and War of the Worlds allegory. 43:10 Segment III – Context for shareholder activism and introduction of guest Chris Young, Managing Director of Credit Suisse. 52:57 Break 53:20 Segment III (cont.): What do activists want? 56:30 End of Segment III and preview of next month’s Episode 12 with Chris Young 57:21 Conclusion and Famous Last Words with Orson Welles. Biographies of Guests Ms. Tanuja Dehne Tanuja Dehne is a public company director and former C-level executive of NRG Energy, Inc., a Fortune 250 power company. Tanuja brings perspective and experience from her cross-disciplinary roles to the C-suite and board room. She is a purpose-driven leader, cultivator of talent and proven strategist. She is an award winning corporate attorney, human resources professional and community volunteer who thrives when making a positive difference in the lives of others. During her tenure at NRG Energy, Inc., Tanuja had increasingly expansive roles: initially the company’s securities and finance lawyer, then Corporate Secretary and lead M&A attorney, before becoming the head of Human Resources. Ultimately, in her role as EVP, Chief Administrative Officer and Chief of Staff, she oversaw the company’s Human Resources, Information Technology, Communications, Marketing and Sustainability departments, the company’s charitable giving program, M&A integrations, as well as the construction of NRG’s sustainable corporate headquarters in Princeton, New Jersey. Tanuja also served as a sponsor, coach and “internal angel investor” of interdisciplinary innovation teams, including the team that created the “Path to Luma,” an environmentally conscious puzzle game launched in August 2015 with record breaking downloads in the Apple and Google stores. Tanuja is a director of Advanced Disposal Services (NYSE: ADSW) and Silver Bay Realty Trust Corp. (NYSE: SBY), and Board Trustee of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, HomeFront of New Jersey and Young Audiences New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania. She is a frequent speaker on topics including leadership, corporate governance, and the intersection of the law and human resources. She received a B.A. from Lafayette College, Master’s in Political Science from the University of Pennsylvania, and Juris Doctor from Syracuse University College of Law. Mr. Paul Bonavia Paul Bonavia was Chairman and CEO of UNS Energy and its principal subsidiaries, Tucson Electric Power and UNS Energy Services, from January 2009 to May 2014. He served as Executive Chairman until the sale of the company to Fortis Inc. was completed in August of 2014. He had also served as President until December 2012. Mr. Bonavia worked to establish UNS Energy as a leader in renewable energy and energy efficiency while maintaining safe, affordable, and reliable service to nearly 640,000 utility customers across Arizona. Mr. Bonavia was named by Governor Jan Brewer to the Board of Directors of the Arizona Commerce Authority and has served as a director or trustee of the Southern Arizona Leadership Council (former chairman), Tucson Regional Economic Opportunities (former chairman), United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona (former chairman), University of Arizona Foundation, Tucson Airport Authority, Edison Electric Institute, Institute for Energy Efficiency and American Wind Energy Association. Before joining UNS Energy, Mr. Bonavia was President of the Utilities Group of Xcel Energy and held senior positions at Dominion Power. He earned degrees from Drake University and the University of Miami School of Law and completed Harvard Business School's Advanced Management Program. Mr. Bonavia serves as chair of the board’s Human Resources Committee, and is a member of the Corporate Governance & Strategic Planning Committee and the System Planning Committee. Mr. Chris Young Chris Young has been Managing Director and Head of the Takeover Defense Practice at Credit Suisse AG and Credit Suisse Group since June 1, 2010. Until May 2010, Mr. Young served as the Director of M&A and Proxy Fight at Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS). While at ISS, Mr. Young was responsible for analyzing contentious M&A transactions, proxy fights and corporate governance issues and providing proxy voting and tender offer recommendations for ISS institutional investor clients. Mr. Young also helped to facilitate a constructive dialogue between ISS institutional investor clients and senior executives and directors of public companies in the US and Europe. Mr. Young is regarded as a leading authority on contested M&A transactions and shareholder activism. Prior to ISS, Mr. Young was a member of the investment banking group at Bear Stearns and the M&A group at Sullivan & Cromwell. Mr. Young is a CFA charter holder, received his JD, magna cum laude, from Boston University and his BS from Georgetown University. Subscribe to the podcast at iTunes: or SoundCloud: Follow Leadership Lyceum on: Our website: LinkedIn: Twitter: @LeaderLyceum Email us: Please subscribe to the Leadership Lyceum at iTunes which will enable future content to come to you automatically. Rate us and spread the word among your fellow executives and board colleagues. Your host Thomas B. Linquist is the Founder and Managing Partner of Lyceum Leadership Consulting and Lyceum Leadership Productions. Over his 15 years in management and leadership consulting he has served a wide array of industrial clients. This includes leadership assessment and search for chief executive officers, chief financial officers, chief operating officers and boards of directors. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and over his 25-year career has served in a variety of roles: as an engineer with Shell Oil Company, a banker with ABN AMRO Bank, and as treasurer was the youngest corporate officer in the 150+ year history at Peoples Energy Company in Chicago. He is an expert on hiring and promotion decisions and leadership development. Over the course of his search career, he has interviewed thousands of leaders. Please subscribe to the Leadership Lyceum in the podcast section at iTunes which will enable future content to come to you automatically. Rate us and spread the word among your fellow executives and board colleagues. Program Disclaimer The only purpose of the podcasts is to educate, inform and entertain. The information shared is based on the collection of experiences of each of the guests interviewed and should not be considered or substituted for professional advice. Guests who speak in this podcast express their own opinions, experience and conclusions, and neither The Leadership Lyceum LLC nor any company providing financial support endorses or opposes any particular content, recommendation or methodology discussed in this podcast. This podcast Leadership Lyceum: A CEO’s Virtual Mentor has been a production of The Leadership Lyceum LLC. Copyright 2017 All rights reserved
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“The Electric Utility Industry’s Golden Age of Innovation: Now”
06/08/2017
“The Electric Utility Industry’s Golden Age of Innovation: Now”
Special Podcast Episode 10 “The Electric Utility Industry’s Golden Age of Innovation: Now” Innovation Interviews with Eight CEOs After a bit of a hiatus, we are back. I can assure we have been busy on your behalf in the interim. We are delighted to announce that we formed two companies under Leadership Lyceum’s brand: Lyceum Leadership Consulting which provides executive and board of director’s search, board effectiveness review, and an array of services for successor development and board-readiness. And Lyceum Leadership Productions which brings you this podcast. We will be expanding the programming of the episodes this summer so please subscribe through iTunes and give us feedback. Tell us about leadership situations that you are interested in us exploring. Please visit our website for all of our archived media and offerings. Welcome to this Special Episode of the Leadership Lyceum: A CEO’s Virtual Mentor focused on innovation in an industry that many of us take for granted. We take an in-depth look at innovation in the electric utility industry. It’s the Leadership Lyceum’s opening act to Edison Electric Institute’s annual industry convention that starts this weekend, June 11th in Boston. In this Episode, we take a look back at last year’s convention in Chicago, where we conducted 10 interviews that included 8 CEOs from the electric industry covering all points along the electricity value chain from generation to transmission to distribution to the customer meter and beyond. We also have the perspective of a President of a venture capital-backed, technology provider to the industry; as well as the critical viewpoints of the regulator -- with the President of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (or NARUC). By way of context for our broad listenership, Edison Electric Institute (or EEI), is the association that represents all U.S. investor-owned electric companies. EEI provides public policy leadership, strategic business intelligence, and essential conferences and forums for the industry. As a bit of an appeal to our broad listenership --- why should you care about this industry? Well its impact and influence is far-reaching and profound. The member companies of EEI provide electricity for 220 million Americans, operate in all 50 states and the District of Columbia --- and directly and indirectly employ more than one million workers. Our esteemed guests are all listed on the back of the album cover and on our website with links to their bios. As a reminder, we conducted these interviews in June of 2016. Our guests are as follows: Nick Akins, CEO of AEP in Columbus, OH; at the time, the outgoing Chairman of EEI. Tom Fanning, CEO of Southern Company in Atlanta; at the time, the incoming Chairman of EEI. Warner Baxter, CEO of Ameren Corporation in St Louis. Pedro Pizarro, CEO of Edison International; at the time, the President of Edison subsidiary Southern California Edison. Jim Piro, CEO of Portland General Electric in Portland, OR Ralph Izzo, CEO of PSEG, in Newark, NJ; Steve Berberich, CEO of California ISO; the ISO is one of the world’s largest transmission organizations, managing the electric grid and wholesale power markets for 30 million Californians. Tony Earley, Executive Chair of the Board of PG&E Corporation in San Francisco; at the time, was Chairman, CEO and President of PG&E Alex Laskey, Co-Founder and President of Opower; Alex sold his company to Oracle while we were at the convention in June 2016 Travis Kavulla, Commissioner, Montana Public Service Commission; and at the time, was serving a term as President of National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (or NARUC) Just prior to our interviews last year, Neil Irwin, senior economics correspondent for The New York Times ( gave us inspiration in his walk down the memory lane of innovation in his May 15, 2016 “The Upshot” column titled “Tracking Down the Golden Age of Innovation”. Twitter: He posited in that article that a better way to understand the significance of technological change may be to come as close as we can to actually walking through those time periods, from the end of the Civil War to present, and understand the way we lived, ate, traveled and clothed and entertained ourselves. Through our conversation with these industry leaders, we will attempt to walk you through our current age of innovation in the electric power industry. Segment 1: Opening Statements – The Structure of the Industry. Travis Kavulla, President of NARUC and Commissioner of the Montana PSC. Steve Berberich, CEO of California ISO, managing the transmission grid across the state of California. Tony Earley, CEO of PG&E in San Francisco. Ralph Izzo, CEO of PSEG in Newark. Nick Akins, CEO of AEP in Columbus Steve Berberich, CEO of California ISO Segment 2: Interoperability, Data, and the Customer Steve Berberich, CEO of California ISO He expounds on the subject of interoperability of complex components of the electricity value chain. Nick Akins, CEO of AEP in Columbus Nick transitions into how technology has enabled customer relationships. Advanced Metering triggered proximity to the customer. Tony Earley, CEO of PG&E in San Francisco. Alex Laskey, President of Opower Pedro Pizarro, CEO of Edison International Segment 3: Boundary Conditions and how utilities are defining the boundaries of their service. Warner Baxter, CEO of Ameren in St Louis Pedro Pizarro, CEO of Edison International Steve Berberich, CEO of California ISO Travis Kavulla, President of NARUC and Commissioner of the Montana PSC. Nick Akins, CEO of AEP in Columbus Ralph Izzo, CEO of PSEG in Newark. Tom Fanning, CEO of Southern Company in Atlanta Tony Earley, CEO of PG&E in San Francisco. Segment 4: Collaboration with Disruptors and how utilities are partnering with the technologists on innovation and solutions. Warner Baxter, CEO of Ameren in St Louis Jim Piro, CEO of Portland General Electric Segment 5: Regulatory Barriers and Enablers to innovation. Travis Kavulla, President of NARUC and Commissioner of the Montana PSC. Pedro Pizarro, CEO of Edison International Alex Laskey, President of Opower Segment 6: Are We Pushing Hard Enough to Innovate? Travis Kavulla, President of NARUC and Commissioner of the Montana PSC. Nick Akins, CEO of AEP in Columbus Jim Piro, CEO of Portland General Electric Tom Fanning, CEO of Southern Company in Atlanta Segment 7: Parting Thoughts and Advice to Stakeholders. It’s fitting that our three guests with the parting words are those who have transitioned since my interview with them last year. One through sale of company, one through executive retirement, and the other through expiration of term of service. Tony Earley, CEO of PG&E in San Francisco - who has now turned the leadership of PG&E over to his successor Geisha Williams. Alex Laskey, President of Opower Travis Kavulla, President of NARUC and Commissioner of the Montana PSC in the anchor position with advice on the posture and approach of stakeholders to foster innovation from the regulatory point of view. Our Parting Thoughts I can’t think of a more fitting way to close this retrospective than drawing from the opening of Neil Irwin’s NYT article that I mentioned at the outset of this episode. Are you a skeptical economist who believes that we’re in a depressing era in which innovation has slowed and living standards are barely rising? Or are you a techno-optimist who believes that that our era, in which digital technology is transforming the underpinnings of human existence, is the golden age of innovation? Thanks for joining us. We can’t improve without your feedback – write us through our website and subscribe on iTunes. See you next time. Informative and Helpful Links Edison Electric Institute (EEI): Ameren Corporation: American Electric Power: California ISO: Edison International: Pacific Gas & Electric: Portland General Electric: Public Service Enterprise Group: Southern Company: Oracle and Opower: Montana PSC: National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC): New York Times: Program Guide: Special Episode 10 “The Electric Utility Industry’s Golden Age of Innovation: Now” Innovation Interviews with Eight CEOs 0:30 Introduction to the Lyceum Leadership Consulting and Lyceum Leadership Productions 1:15 Introduction to “Innovation in the Electric Industry” through 10 interviews including 8 CEOs 4:05 Segment 1: Opening Statements – The Structure of the Industry 11:43 Break 1 11:57 Segment 2: Interoperability, Data, and the Customer 26:02 Break 2 26:24 Segment 3: Boundary Conditions - how utilities are defining the boundaries of their service. 36:50 Break 3 37:03 Segment 4: Collaboration with Disruptors 39:32 Break 4 39:49 Segment 5: Regulatory Barriers and Enablers 45:16 Break 5 45:31 Segment 6: Are We Pushing Hard Enough to Innovate? 51:12 Break 6 51:34 Segment 7: Parting Thoughts and Advice to Stakeholders 57:04 Lyceum’s Parting Thoughts 57:37 End of Episode Subscribe to the Podcast at: or Follow Leadership Lyceum on: Email us: Please subscribe to the Leadership Lyceum at iTunes which will enable future content to come to you automatically. Rate us and spread the word among your fellow executives and board colleagues. Your host Thomas B. Linquist is the Founder and Managing Partner of Lyceum Leadership Consulting and Lyceum Leadership Productions. Over his 15 years in management and leadership consulting he has served a wide array of industrial clients. This includes leadership assessment and search for chief executive officers, chief financial officers, chief operating officers and boards of directors. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and over his 25-year career has served in a variety of roles: as an engineer with Shell Oil Company, a banker with ABN AMRO Bank, and as treasurer was the youngest corporate officer in the 150+ year history at Peoples Energy Company in Chicago. He is an expert on hiring and promotion decisions and leadership development. Over the course of his search career, he has interviewed thousands of leaders. Please subscribe to the Leadership Lyceum in the podcast section at iTunes which will enable future content to come to you automatically. Rate us and spread the word among your fellow executives and board colleagues. Copyright 2017 by The Leadership Lyceum LLC
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Interview with Pedro Pizarro, CEO of Edison International
03/13/2017
Interview with Pedro Pizarro, CEO of Edison International
“Perpetuating the California Dream: Progressive Policy Meets Progressive Leadership” Interview with Pedro Pizarro, CEO of Edison International in Los Angeles, California Welcome to Episode 9 of the Leadership Lyceum: A CEO’s Virtual Mentor. I had the pleasure of visiting Pedro Pizarro, CEO of Edison International in his Los Angeles office for this conversation as part of what will be a bit of a sub-series introducing some of the recently appointed CEO's in the utility industry. Edison International (Ticker: ) is the publicly-traded holding company for regulated utility Southern California Edison and a small array of non-regulated investments plus Edison Energy. At $11.5 billion in annual revenue, and serving 15 million customers, the company is one of the largest utilities in the country. Our interview will delve deeply into one of Pedro’s priorities for positioning their utility, Southern California Edison (SCE) to help the state of California achieve its very ambitious, legislatively-mandated targets for reducing greenhouse gases by 2030. The path ahead for Pedro and Edison with respect to his plan to: “help catalyze all the efforts to support reducing greenhouse gases” is uncharted and unprecedented. To achieve the targets, it is not enough for California to decarbonize the electric power sector – they need cooperation and electrification from other sectors. As fitting context for this interview, in our last podcast episode, Episode 8, we illustrated through our interview with Susan Story, CEO of American Water, how success in the public utilities industry requires industry leaders to lead “beyond their authority” – that is, leading beyond the boundaries of their corporations. We discussed that continuously achieving safe, clean, reliable, affordable service is dependent upon public policy, legislation, and regulatory relationships which in turn require leaders to lead and influence beyond the boundaries of their corporations. California legislation presents a stage set for leadership of this nature. This includes a plot thickened by the stark disparity between California and Federal, climate and renewable energy policy. But there are no scripts for this story. The action will be carried out by a talented troop of improvisational actors. Informative and Helpful Links A helpful summary of California Climate legislation called SB 32 which was promulgated on September 8, 2016. We discussed this in detail in the interview. A helpful summary of California Climate legislation called SB 350 which was promulgated on October 7, 2015. We discussed this in depth in the interview. LA 2024 – Los Angeles’s Bid for the Olympics. LA is one of two candidate cities along with Paris. My LA Times source on legendary historian Kevin Starr from an obituary the day before my interview with Pedro. Edison International Website: California is using more renewables and less natural gas in its summer electricity mix California has nearly half of the nation’s solar electricity generating capacity Program Guide Episode 9 Pedro Pizarro Interview – “Perpetuating the California Dream: Progressive Policy Meets Progressive Leadership” 0:30 Introduction to Pedro Pizarro CEO of Edison International 1:19 Policy/legislative context for the interview 2:52 Start of interview – key areas of focus on Pedro’s leadership agenda 5:25 Break 1 5:46 Non-regulated Edison Energy focus on the Commercial & Industrial (C&I) market 8:20 Benefits of a dual platform: regulated and competitive businesses and two views 9:30 Use of electric storage/batteries (front-of-the-meter and behind-the-meter-applications) 13:00 Other state’s activity vs California: Community Solar in Minnesota 13:50 Pedro’s leadership as a relatively new CEO of an iconic California company 16:35 California’s unique position – the imaginative and the factual; the influence on the nation 19:30 Break 2 19:51 Leadership outside the walls of the company and LA 2024, LA’s bid for the Olympics 22:20 LA 2024 and strength of conviction and strength of the bid 23:48 Policy and Legislation: SB 350 (state renewable portfolio standard increase) and SB 32 (greenhouse gas emission reductions) 28:01 Striking balances on policy and legislation – Example: Net Energy Metering revisit in state in 2019 30:12 Break 3 30:34 SB 32 greenhouse gas emission reductions discussion and the task ahead in context 32:00 Accounting for greenhouse gas emissions by sector. Needs from sectors beyond the electric utility sector 33:46 Edison’s task in the future regarding SB 32 and implications on Edison’s grid 34:55 Break 4 35:07 Cross-economy/cross-government collaboration for SB 32 progress. Example - ports and port transportation networks 38:21 Pedro Pizarro’s vision and approach for Edison International in cross-industry collaboration 40:26 Break 5 (Final Break) 40:44 Conclusion - LA 2024 “the first energy positive solar powered games” in history. Tying it all together. 44:01 Recap and end of Episode 9 Biography on Pedro Pizarro Mr. Pizarro has been the President and CEO of EIX since October 2016. Prior to that, he served as President of EIX from June 2016 to September 2016 and President of SCE from October 2014 to May 2016. Mr. Pizarro has held a wide range of executive positions at the EIX companies since joining EIX in 1999. From 2011 through March 2014, he served as President of EME, an indirect subsidiary of EIX that filed for bankruptcy in 2012. Prior to that, Mr. Pizarro served as Executive Vice President of SCE from 2008 to 2011, responsible for SCE’s transmission and distribution system, procurement of conventional and renewable power, and gas-fired and hydroelectric power production facilities. He also previously served as Vice President and Senior Vice President of Power Procurement, and Vice President of Strategy and Business Development, among other executive roles. Prior to his work at the EIX companies, Mr. Pizarro was a senior engagement manager with McKinsey & Company, providing management consulting services to energy, technology, engineering services, and banking clients. He is a director of the Edison Electric Institute and the Electric Power Research Institute, and is a member of the Board of Governors of Argonne National Laboratory. Mr. Pizarro is a graduate of Harvard University and earned a Ph.D. in chemistry from the California Institute of Technology. Subscribe to the podcast at iTunes: or SoundCloud: Follow Leadership Lyceum on: LinkedIn: Twitter: @LeaderLyceum Email us: Please subscribe to the Leadership Lyceum at iTunes which will enable future content to come to you automatically. Rate us and spread the word among your fellow executives and board colleagues. Your host Thomas B. Linquist is a Partner at a leading global executive search firm. Over his 15 years in management and leadership consulting he has served a wide array of industrial clients. This includes leadership assessment and search for chief executive officers, chief financial officers, chief operating officers and boards of directors. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and over his 25-year career has served in a variety of roles: as an engineer with Shell Oil Company, a banker with ABN AMRO Bank, and as treasurer was the youngest corporate officer in the 150+ year history at Peoples Energy Company in Chicago. He is an expert on hiring and promotion decisions and leadership development. Over the course of his search career, he has interviewed thousands of leaders. Please subscribe to the Leadership Lyceum in the podcast section at iTunes which will enable future content to come to you automatically. Rate us and spread the word among your fellow executives and board colleagues. © 2017 The Leadership Lyceum LLC
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“Leading Beyond Authority in Utilities: A Conversation with American Water Works CEO Susan Story”
02/12/2017
“Leading Beyond Authority in Utilities: A Conversation with American Water Works CEO Susan Story”
Welcome to Episode 8 of the Leadership Lyceum: A CEO’s Virtual Mentor “Leading Beyond Authority in Utilities: A Conversation with American Water Works CEO Susan Story” American Water Works (Ticker: ) is the largest publicly-traded water utility in the country, serving one of the basic human needs of about 15 million customers across 47 states, and in Ontario, Canada. The company serves, and Susan leads, in a mission-critical infrastructure sector. I have had the pleasure of hearing Susan Story, CEO of American Water, speak to industry groups on numerous occasions over the last several years. Her speeches are engaging and carry power that moves an audience to action. I realized that the persuasive power of her public speaking and her approach to leadership demonstrates quintessential qualities for effective leadership beyond the boundaries of the corporation that she leads. A key measure of success in the utility industry is continuously achieving safe, clean, reliable, affordable delivery of service. These objectives are dynamic and their parameters are often dependent on public policy, legislation, and regulatory relationships. Industry leaders, therefore, must advocate in these areas by leading and influencing beyond the boundaries of their corporations. They must lead beyond their authority. There are three types of authority, according to the famed sociologist Max Weber. There is authority based on legal rules. There is traditional authority, based on traditions, customs and historical precedents. Weber posited an additional authority structure called charismatic authority. Charismatic authority is conferred on someone not by established norm or rule, but by an individual’s personal history, achievements and leadership qualities. Weber defines charisma as possessing exceptional qualities regarded as exemplary in the eyes of his or her followers. A utility executive leads beyond the boundaries of the corporation with charismatic authority. Leadership effectiveness in this sphere of charismatic authority, above and beyond the corporation’s boundaries, requires unique characteristics and competencies often overlooked. There are many descriptors for the general qualities of the effective leader. But there are very few specific frameworks for effective leadership with charismatic authority. In 1951, Northwestern University professor Franklyn Haiman established a list of qualities desirable for a leader engaged in democratic processes. These qualities include social sensitivity, which includes a respect and concern for others, extroversion, and a belief in the value of the individual. This sincere interest in other people is the most important attribute of this type of leader. Other qualities include sensitivity to the basic trends and moods of the group; knowledge and expertise in the area where they are expected to lead; facility in verbalizing the ideas of a group; vitality; maturity and patience. Susan Story has those qualities. I think you will hear evidence of the qualities throughout my interview with her. These attributes enable her to successfully lead and influence people beyond her corporate authority into the areas of corporate social responsibility and public policy. Informative and Helpful Links From the September 13, 2014 The New York Times: Adam Bryant’s Corner Office “Susan Story of American Water: A Job Description Is Just the Start” The Bipartisan Policy Center: The Bipartisan Policy Center is a non-profit organization that combines the best ideas from both parties to promote health, security, and opportunity for all Americans. BPC drives principled and politically viable policy solutions through the power of rigorous analysis, painstaking negotiation, and aggressive advocacy. Program Guide Susan Story Interview – “Leading Beyond Authority in Utilities” 0:30 Introduction to Susan Story, American Water and Policy Leadership 1:55 Strategic and public policy priorities for American Water 5:33 Introduction to the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) 7:06 BPC: Moving from white papers to practical legislation 7:58 BPC: Addressing aging infrastructure - Public Private Partnerships (P3s) 9:45 BPC solutions and implications on activities of American Water 11:50 Break 1 12:07 Ideal conditions state-by-state to support P3s. Fair market value, single tariffs. 15:20 Measures and approaches to addressing state-level policy matters. 16:40 Break 2 17:00 BPC: Other industries that benefit from the P3 construct 17:50 Barriers to P3s: Bonding capacity - tax-exempt bond defeasance enablers and barriers 19:45 Lyceum’s introduction to “Leading Beyond Authority” and definition of “charismatic authority” 21:06 Susan’s leadership approach to broad policy and regulatory environments. 25:32 Lyceum’s outline of effective leadership attributes for those with charismatic authority. 26:32 Susan’s approach to achieving forward progress on policy matters 28:10 Meaning and pride in our work: Herbie Sims, backhoe operator 30:45 Break 3 31:05 Susan’s vision for water and wastewater five years down the road. 34:14 End of episode and preview of Episode 9 with Pedro Pizarro, CEO of Edison International Biography on Susan Story Susan N. Story is president and chief executive officer (CEO) of American Water, the largest publicly traded U.S. water and wastewater utility company. In this role since May 9, 2014, Ms. Story leads a team of 6,700 dedicated professionals who provide regulated and market-based drinking water, wastewater and other related services to an estimated 15 million people in 47 states and Ontario, Canada. She is responsible for developing the overall strategy and vision of American Water and directing its key business development initiatives. Ms. Story joined American Water in April 2013 as chief financial officer (CFO). In this role, she had responsibility for all financial functions, including directing and coordinating all company financial objectives and obligations; ensuring the integrity of financial statements; developing budgets for both annual and interim periods; developing cash management investment strategies; maintaining a financially solvent organization; leading Sarbanes-Oxley; and overseeing the shared services organization. With more than 30 years of utility experience, Ms. Story is well-versed in overseeing complex financial systems, optimizing cost structures and strengthening internal controls. Prior to joining American Water in April 2013, Ms. Story served as executive vice president of Southern Company, one of America's largest generators of electricity serving both regulated and competitive markets across the southeastern United States. In this capacity, she was a member of the company’s management council and was president and CEO of Southern Company Services Inc., with responsibilities for functional support of all of Southern Company’s subsidiaries. Previously, Ms. Story served as president and CEO of Gulf Power Company, a Florida subsidiary of Southern Company. She has also served as Southern Company’s executive vice president of Engineering and Construction Services, where she had oversight for budgets and schedules of numerous combined cycle power plants and large environmental retrofit projects. Ms. Story began her career at Southern Company as a nuclear power plant engineer and had increasing responsibilities in operations, human resources, customer service, corporate real estate and supply chain. She has also been an independent director of Raymond James Financial, a diversified financial services company, since 2008, and was named Independent Lead Director in February 2016. Story has a history of active involvement in community, industry, education and economic development efforts. She currently serves on the board of directors for the Bipartisan Policy Center and as co-chair of its Executive Council on Infrastructure. She is also on the board of the Alliance to Save Energy (ASE), and is a member of the Electric Power Research Institute Advisory Council and the Moffitt Cancer Center Board of Advisors in Tampa, Fla. She was recently the national chairman for the Center for Energy Workforce Development (CEWD) and served on the board of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). In her time in Florida, she was a member of the Florida Board of Education, appointed to the Federal Judicial Nominating Commission, appointed chair of the state's economic development public-private partnership, and was an appointee to the Tax and Budget Reform Commission, required every 20 years by the Florida Constitution. Ms. Story attended executive education programs at Duke University and Oxford University in England, and completed international business studies at Cambridge University and leadership studies at Harvard. She earned a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering from Auburn University and an MBA from the University of Alabama in Birmingham. She completed additional post-graduate coursework in the Master of Finance program at the University of Alabama focusing on financial derivatives, and at the Birmingham School of Law focusing on torts and contracts. Subscribe to the podcast at iTunes: or SoundCloud: Follow Leadership Lyceum on: LinkedIn: Twitter: @LeaderLyceum Email us: Subscribe to the Leadership Lyceum at iTunes which will enable future content to come to you automatically. Rate us and spread the word among your fellow executives and board colleagues. Your host Thomas B. Linquist is a Partner at a leading global executive search firm. Over his 15 years in management and leadership consulting he has served a wide array of industrial clients. This includes leadership assessment and search for chief executive officers, chief financial officers, chief operating officers and boards of directors. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and over his 25-year career has served in a variety of roles: as an engineer with Shell Oil Company, a banker with ABN AMRO Bank, and as treasurer was the youngest corporate officer in the 150+ year history at Peoples Energy Company in Chicago. He is an expert on hiring and promotion decisions and leadership development. Over the course of his search career, he has interviewed thousands of leaders. Copyright 2016 by The Leadership Lyceum LLC
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Part 2 of 2: “Utility Mergers & Acquisitions: Reflections from The Room Where It Happened”
01/09/2017
Part 2 of 2: “Utility Mergers & Acquisitions: Reflections from The Room Where It Happened”
Part 2 of 2: “Utility Mergers & Acquisitions: Reflections from The Room Where It Happened” Interview with McKinsey & Company Emeritus, Dr. Les Silverman, former Lead Independent Director of Pepco and Independent Director of Columbia Pipeline Group (CPG); Mr. Robert (Bob) Skaggs, former CEO of NiSource and then CEO of CPG; and Mr. Joseph (Joe) Rigby, former Chief Executive Officer of Pepco. Welcome to Episode 7 of the Leadership Lyceum: A CEO’s Virtual Mentor. This is Part 2 of a 2-part novel interview with two CEO’s and a common board member between them. As a board member for both companies, Les Silverman was at the vertex of notable M&A transactions that took place under the leadership of each of these CEOs over the last two years. At NiSource, Bob Skaggs presided over the separation of the gas storage and transmission assets from the regulated utility. Bob led CPG’s spinoff from NiSource into a standalone publicly traded company in July 2015, and the subsequent sale of CPG to TransCanada one year later. At Pepco, Joe Rigby led the sale of Pepco to Exelon. The NiSource - CPG transaction unfolded in a relatively smooth and speedy manner, while the Pepco acquisition could only be described as epic and protracted. My fabulous foursome gathered in the Pepco offices on a crisp early autumn day in 2016 in Washington in one of the rooms where it happened several months after the completion of their transactions to reflect on the deliberations and perspectives of the executives and one of the non-executive directors who made it all happen. Informative and Helpful Links From Utility Dive: Gavin Bade’s “A brief history of the Exelon-Pepco merger saga” Subscribe to the podcast at iTunes: or SoundCloud: Follow Leadership Lyceum on: LinkedIn: Twitter: @LeaderLyceum Email us: Please subscribe to the Leadership Lyceum at iTunes which will enable future content to come to you automatically. Rate us and spread the word among your fellow executives and board colleagues. Your host Thomas B. Linquist is a Partner at a leading global executive search firm. Over his 15 years in management and leadership consulting he has served a wide array of industrial clients. This includes leadership assessment and search for chief executive officers, chief financial officers, chief operating officers and boards of directors. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and over his 25-year career has served in a variety of roles: as an engineer with Shell Oil Company, a banker with ABN AMRO Bank, and as treasurer was the youngest corporate officer in the 150+ year history at Peoples Energy Company in Chicago. He is an expert on hiring and promotion decisions and leadership development. Over the course of his search career, he has interviewed thousands of leaders. Please subscribe to the Leadership Lyceum in the podcast section at iTunes which will enable future content to come to you automatically. Rate us and spread the word among your fellow executives and board colleagues. Copyright 2016 by The Leadership Lyceum LLC
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Part 1 of 2: “Utility Mergers & Acquisitions: Reflections from The Room Where It Happened”
12/05/2016
Part 1 of 2: “Utility Mergers & Acquisitions: Reflections from The Room Where It Happened”
Part 1 of 2: “Utility Mergers & Acquisitions: Reflections from The Room Where It Happened” Interview with McKinsey & Company Emeritus, Dr. Les Silverman, former Lead Independent Director of Pepco and Independent Director of Columbia Pipeline Group (CPG); Mr. Robert (Bob) Skaggs, former CEO of NiSource and then CEO of CPG; and Mr. Joseph (Joe) Rigby, former Chief Executive Officer of Pepco. Welcome to Episode 7 of the Leadership Lyceum: A CEO’s Virtual Mentor. This is Part 1 of a 2-part novel interview with two CEO’s and a common board member between them. As a board member for both companies, Les Silverman was at the vertex of notable M&A transactions that took place under the leadership of each of these CEOs over the last two years. At NiSource, Bob Skaggs presided over the separation of the gas storage and transmission assets from the regulated utility. Bob led CPG’s spinoff from NiSource into a standalone publicly traded company in July 2015, and the subsequent sale of CPG to TransCanada one year later. At Pepco, Joe Rigby led the sale of Pepco to Exelon. The NiSource - CPG transaction unfolded in a relatively smooth and speedy manner, while the Pepco acquisition could only be described as epic and protracted. My fabulous foursome gathered in the Pepco offices in Washington in one of the rooms where it happened several months after the completion of their transactions to reflect on the deliberations and perspectives of the executives and one of the non-executive directors who made it all happen. Informative and Helpful Links From Utility Dive: Gavin Bade’s “A brief history of the Exelon-Pepco merger saga” Subscribe to the podcast at iTunes: or SoundCloud: Follow Leadership Lyceum on: LinkedIn: Twitter: @LeaderLyceum Email us: Please subscribe to the Leadership Lyceum at iTunes which will enable future content to come to you automatically. Rate us and spread the word among your fellow executives and board colleagues. Your host Thomas B. Linquist is a Partner at a leading global executive search firm. Over his 15 years in management and leadership consulting he has served a wide array of industrial clients. This includes leadership assessment and search for chief executive officers, chief financial officers, chief operating officers and boards of directors. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and over his 25-year career has served in a variety of roles: as an engineer with Shell Oil Company, a banker with ABN AMRO Bank, and as treasurer was the youngest corporate officer in the 150+ year history at Peoples Energy Company in Chicago. He is an expert on hiring and promotion decisions and leadership development. Over the course of his search career, he has interviewed thousands of leaders. Please subscribe to the Leadership Lyceum in the podcast section at iTunes which will enable future content to come to you automatically. Rate us and spread the word among your fellow executives and board colleagues. Copyright 2016 by The Leadership Lyceum LLC
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Part 2 of 2: “Product and Brand Leadership” Interview with Andy Mooney, CEO of Fender Musical Instruments
11/13/2016
Part 2 of 2: “Product and Brand Leadership” Interview with Andy Mooney, CEO of Fender Musical Instruments
This is Part 2 of a 2-part interview with Andy Mooney, CEO of Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. ( ). You will recall from Part 1 that I joined Andy in his new Hollywood offices, which were still in the finishing touches of the build out, on September 14th 2016. We had a sweeping conversation covering his leadership at Fender, his product orientation and brand focus and industry innovation that he is leading at Fender. Fender had their grand opening celebration of the new Hollywood offices one week after our meeting on September 22nd. Please link to this LA Weekly article on the back of the album cover for some great photos of Fender’s new and inviting Hollywood space including shots of Andy and his executive team. ( ). In this Part 2 of 2 we’ll discuss new product lauches and touch on many of the considerations – from supply chain to marketing and communications. We’ll also discuss product growth and pricing. Program Guide Andy Mooney Interview Part 2 of 2 – “Product & Brand Leadership” 0:32 Introduction to Part 2 of 2 with Andy Mooney 1:22 Supply Chain / Product Line Management: Process and Execution 3:55 Breaking Up Organizational Silos through a Project Management Officer 6:00 Marketing Focus: Communications and Social Media 10:00 Supply Chain: Inventory Carrying Protocols 11:50 Break 12:06 Growth Potential and Gaining Market Share 16:47 The Value of the Guitar and Pricing 21:31 Wrap Up and Conclusion Informative and Helpful Links More about Fender: More about Andy Mooney: More about the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM): Prior National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Interviews with: Andy Mooney January 2016: With Phyllis Fender, Leo Fender’s wife: NAMM’s Compelling Library of Oral History Interviews: An Excellent Video Tour of the Fender Fullerton Manufacturing Facility Circa 1957 or 1959 Dan Orkin’s informative feature on gear history in Reverb.com and the impact of the CBS takeover of Fender on guitar designs in 1965. Link to Rolling Stone Video and Article on The Edge and his Custom Signature Fender Strat. Funk Museum reference – The Funk Center, Dayton Ohio The Leadership Lyceum Podcast Subscribe to the podcast at iTunes: or SoundCloud: Follow Leadership Lyceum on: LinkedIn: Twitter: @LeaderLyceum Email us: Please subscribe to the Leadership Lyceum at iTunes Podcasts which will enable future content to come to you automatically. Rate us and spread the word among your fellow executives and board colleagues. Biography on Andy Mooney Andrew (Andy) P. Mooney has been the Chief Executive Officer of Fender Musical Instruments Corporation since June 2015. He served as the Chief Executive Officer of Quiksilver Inc. from January 10, 2013 to March 27, 2015. Andy served as President of Walt Disney Company since January 2000. He spent 11 years leading Disney Consumer Products (DCP), first as President and then as Chairman of DCP. He pioneered the $4 billion Disney Princesses franchise and retail lines based on the Pixar Animation films, “Toy Story” and “Cars.” While at Disney, he and his team revolutionized Disney's licensing business, re-invented the Disney Stores and opened Disney English Language Learning Centers in China, creating an exciting new growth opportunity for the company. Prior to Disney, Mooney spent 20 years with Nike, Inc. Originally, joining Nike's United Kingdom division as CFO, he transitioned to marketing in 1982. He held several senior positions before relocating to the United States in 1984 and becoming Chief Marketing Officer for Nike in the US in 1994. Throughout his Nike tenure, Andy led Nike’s footwear product line management team, was General Manager of Nike’s $3 billion global apparel business and founded its equipment division. Andy worked for 20-years with Nike, Inc., and served as its Vice President of Global Brands. As Chief Marketing Officer, he was responsible for worldwide marketing strategies for the Nike and Jordan brands. Andy hails from Scotland and holds an Accounting Certificate in the United Kingdom. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Business Administration in 2008 by Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh. Your host Thomas B. Linquist is a Partner at leading global executive search firm Heidrick & Struggles. Over his 15 years in management and leadership consulting he has served a wide array of industrial clients. This includes leadership assessment and search for chief executive officers, chief financial officers, chief operating officers and boards of directors. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and over his 25-year career has served in a variety of roles: as an engineer with Shell Oil Company, a banker with ABN AMRO Bank, and as treasurer was the youngest corporate officer in the 150+ year history at Peoples Energy Company in Chicago. He is an expert on hiring and promotion decisions and leadership development. Over the course of his search career, he has interviewed thousands of leaders. Please subscribe to the Leadership Lyceum in the podcast section at iTunes which will enable future content to come to you automatically. Rate us and spread the word among your fellow executives and board colleagues. Copyright 2016 by The Leadership Lyceum LLC
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Part 1 of 2: “Product and Brand Leadership” Interview with Andy Mooney, CEO of Fender Musical Instruments.
10/29/2016
Part 1 of 2: “Product and Brand Leadership” Interview with Andy Mooney, CEO of Fender Musical Instruments.
Part 1 of 2: “Product and Brand Leadership” Interview with Andy Mooney, CEO of Fender Musical Instruments. Welcome to Episode 6 of the Leadership Lyceum: A CEO’s Virtual Mentor. This is Part 1 of a 2-part interview with Andy Mooney, CEO of Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. ( ). I joined Andy in his new Hollywood offices, which were still in the finishing touches of the build out, on September 14th 2016. We had a sweeping conversation his leadership at Fender, his product orientation and brand focus and industry innovation that he is leading at Fender. Fender had their grand opening celebration of the new Hollywood offices one week after our meeting on September 22nd. Please link to this LA Weekly article on the back of the album cover for some great photos of Fender’s new and inviting Hollywood space including shots of Andy and his executive team. ( ). Program Guide Andy Mooney Interview Part 1 of 2 – “Product & Brand Leadership” 0:32 Introduction to Part 1 of 2 with Andy Mooney 0:42 Fender Historical Context and Ownership History 2:50 Quick Intro to Andy Mooney 3:49 Interview: Servco Pacific and TPG Objectives for Andy Mooney as CEO 5:10 Aside: More Background Detail and Bio on Andy Mooney 6:19 Interview: Owners’ Objectives for Andy (continued) 7:49 View of the Fender Brand: Great Products First, Form Follows Function, Quality is a Business Model 9:43 Profound Depths of a Brand – Leo Fender’s Belief 11:49 Relationships with the Artists 13:30 Addressing the Abandonment Phenomenon with Musical Instruments 14:07 Break 14:23 Addressing the Abandonment Phenomenon (cont.) 17:29 Parents’ Education and Role in Development of Music 19:45 Music/Instrument Communities, Proficiency Development and Progression 22:00 Break 22:15 The Ritchie Blackmore Factor – Drawing Interest to Guitar 24:38 Changing Demographics and Tailoring Design 28:53 Communities and Proximity – Los Angeles/Hollywood Offices 30:49 Wrap up and Preview of Episode 6, Part 2 of 2 with Andy Mooney, CEO of Fender Instruments Informative and Helpful Links More about Fender: More about Andy Mooney: More about the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM): Prior National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Interviews with: Andy Mooney January 2016: With Phyllis Fender, Leo Fender’s wife: NAMM’s Compelling Library of Oral History Interviews: An Excellent Video Tour of the Fender Fullerton Manufacturing Facility Circa 1957 or 1959 Dan Orkin’s informative feature on gear history in Reverb.com and the impact of the CBS takeover of Fender on guitar designs in 1965. Link to the Rolling Stone Video and Article on The Edge and his Custom Signature Fender Strat. Funk Museum reference – The Funk Center, Dayton Ohio Subscribe to the podcast at iTunes: or SoundCloud: Follow Leadership Lyceum on: LinkedIn: Twitter: @LeaderLyceum Email us: Please subscribe to the Leadership Lyceum at iTunes which will enable future content to come to you automatically. Rate us and spread the word among your fellow executives and board colleagues. Biography on Andy Mooney Andrew (Andy) P. Mooney has been the Chief Executive Officer of Fender Musical Instruments Corporation since June 2015. He served as the Chief Executive Officer of Quiksilver Inc. from January 10, 2013 to March 27, 2015. Andy served as President of Walt Disney Company since January 2000. He spent 11 years leading Disney Consumer Products (DCP), first as President and then as Chairman of DCP. He pioneered the $4 billion Disney Princesses franchise and retail lines based on the Pixar Animation films, “Toy Story” and “Cars.” While at Disney, he and his team revolutionized Disney's licensing business, re-invented the Disney Stores and opened Disney English Language Learning Centers in China, creating an exciting new growth opportunity for the company. Prior to Disney, Mooney spent 20 years with Nike, Inc. Originally, joining Nike's United Kingdom division as CFO, he transitioned to marketing in 1982. He held several senior positions before relocating to the United States in 1984 and becoming Chief Marketing Officer for Nike in the US in 1994. Throughout his Nike tenure, Andy led Nike’s footwear product line management team, was General Manager of Nike’s $3 billion global apparel business and founded its equipment division. Andy worked for 20-years with Nike, Inc., and served as its Vice President of Global Brands. As Chief Marketing Officer, he was responsible for worldwide marketing strategies for the Nike and Jordan brands. Andy hails from Scotland and holds an Accounting Certificate in the United Kingdom. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Business Administration in 2008 by Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh. Your host Thomas B. Linquist is a Partner at leading global executive search firm Heidrick & Struggles. Over his 15 years in management and leadership consulting he has served a wide array of industrial clients. This includes leadership assessment and search for chief executive officers, chief financial officers, chief operating officers and boards of directors. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and over his 25-year career has served in a variety of roles: as an engineer with Shell Oil Company, a banker with ABN AMRO Bank, and as treasurer was the youngest corporate officer in the 150+ year history at Peoples Energy Company in Chicago. He is an expert on hiring and promotion decisions and leadership development. Over the course of his search career, he has interviewed thousands of leaders. Please subscribe to the Leadership Lyceum in the podcast section at iTunes which will enable future content to come to you automatically. Rate us and spread the word among your fellow executives and board colleagues. Copyright 2016 by The Leadership Lyceum LLC
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Part 2 of 2: “Lifeline Sector Cybersecurity Leadership” Interview with Tom Fanning, Chairman and CEO of Southern Company
10/04/2016
Part 2 of 2: “Lifeline Sector Cybersecurity Leadership” Interview with Tom Fanning, Chairman and CEO of Southern Company
Part 2 of 2: “Lifeline Sector Cybersecurity Leadership” Interview with Tom Fanning, Chairman and CEO of Southern Company Welcome to Episode 5 of the Leadership Lyceum: A CEO’s Virtual Mentor. This is Part 2 of a 2 part interview with Tom Fanning, Chairman and CEO of Atlanta-based Southern Company ( ). If you are joining us by linking over from my recent feature article on Mr. Fanning in trade-publication Public Utilities Fortnightly ( ), welcome to our podcast. Southern Company has $18 billion in annual revenues and is the second largest utility in the US, with 9 million gas and electric customers in 9 states. Tom Fanning has been Chairman and CEO since December of 2010. This Part 2 of 2 focuses on Tom Fanning’s leadership activities outside of, but certainly related to, Southern Company. He is serving as EEI Chairman this year and is Chairman of the Electricity Sub-Sector Coordinating Council, the principal liaison between the electric sector and the federal government for coordinating efforts against cyber threats and physical terrorism. Our conversation will explore his vision as Chairman of EEI this year, and his leadership in cyber and physical security and his call to action for the other “lifeline” or critical sectors like financial services and telecom. I joined Tom Fanning in his office in Atlanta for this conversation on August 10th 2016. Part 1 of our discussion revealed his rationale for Southern’s investment activities and his vision and leadership in actuating it. Southern Company has been building and buying in key areas including nuclear, renewables, natural gas, clean coal, and energy efficiency. If Southern’s sweeping strategic activity raised questions in the observance, Tom’s answers both illuminated Southern’s vision and illustrated the characteristics of his leadership. In Part 1, we sorted through what Tom calls his “All of the Above” approach by addressing Southern’s areas of investment one by one. More about Southern Company , Ticker: NYSE: SO ( ) More about Tom Fanning: More about the National Infrastructure Advisory Council (NIAC): The NIAC Charter: The NIAC Report that I reference from Dec 2015 about CEO Collaboration: Subscribe to the podcast at iTunes: or SoundCloud: Follow Leadership Lyceum on: LinkedIn: Twitter: @LeaderLyceum Email us: Please subscribe to the Leadership Lyceum at iTunes which will enable future content to come to you automatically. Rate us and spread the word among your fellow executives and board colleagues. Program Guide Tom Fanning Interview Part 2 of 2 – “Cybersecurity Leadership” 0:32 Introduction to Part 2 of 2 with Tom Fanning 1:52 Southern Company and Tom Fanning Background 3:24 Origins of Responsibility 5:35 Vision for the Electric Industry as EEI Chairman 7:40 Break 7:59 Cybersecurity: Origins of Tom Fanning’s Involvement 9:19 Cybersecurity: Complex Array of Agencies and Departments and Private Sector Companies 12:25 Cybersecurity: Involvement of the Chief Executive from the Private Sectors 17:06 Break 17:19 Cybersecurity and Physical Terrorism: Potential Modes and Means of Attacks 19:00 Cybersecurity and the National Interest: Industry Responsibilities and Government Obligations 20:40 Wrap up and Preview of Episode 6: Interview with Andy Mooney, CEO of Fender Instruments Biography on Tom Fanning Thomas A. (Tom) Fanning has been chairman, president and CEO of Southern Company since 2010. Under Fanning's leadership, Southern Company is focused on continually finding better ways to serve customers and communities with clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy. With more than 35 years of experience at Southern Company, Fanning also serves as chair of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta and holds senior positions in numerous business and public policy organizations, making him an internationally respected voice on issues ranging from energy innovation and economic growth to cybersecurity. Fanning is a passionate proponent of a common-sense national energy policy based on developing the full portfolio of energy resources. As such, Southern Company is the only U.S. energy provider investing in nuclear, 21st century coal, natural gas, renewables and energy efficiency. Through its subsidiaries, Southern Company is leading America's nuclear renaissance by constructing two state-of-the-art units in Georgia, building an innovative coal gasification facility in Mississippi and has added or announced more than 4,000 megawatts of renewable energy since 2012. Following the completion of its merger with Southern Company Gas (formerly AGL Resources), in July 2016, Southern Company now serves 9 million electric and gas utility customers across the United States. Building on a legacy of robust, proprietary research and development, Fanning also has challenged Southern Company's 32,500 employees to build the future of energy and develop real solutions that improve peoples' lives. Fanning says of Southern Company's mission: "In everything we do, our goal is to provide people with ways to better meet their economic challenges, build better communities and seek a better future for their children." Your host Thomas B. Linquist is a Partner at leading global executive search firm Heidrick & Struggles. Over his 15 years in management and leadership consulting he has served a wide array of industrial clients. This includes leadership assessment and search for chief executive officers, chief financial officers, chief operating officers and boards of directors. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and over his 25-year career has served in a variety of roles: as an engineer with Shell Oil Company, a banker with ABN AMRO Bank, and as treasurer was the youngest corporate officer in the 150+ year history at Peoples Energy Company in Chicago. He is an expert on hiring and promotion decisions and leadership development. Over the course of his search career, he has interviewed thousands of leaders. Please subscribe to the Leadership Lyceum in the podcast section at iTunes which will enable future content to come to you automatically. Rate us and spread the word among your fellow executives and board colleagues. Copyright 2016 by The Leadership Lyceum LLC
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Part 1 of 2: Interview with Tom Fanning, Chairman and CEO of Southern Company
09/26/2016
Part 1 of 2: Interview with Tom Fanning, Chairman and CEO of Southern Company
This is Part 1 of a 2 part interview with Tom Fanning, Chairman and CEO of Atlanta-based Southern Company ( ). If you are joining us by linking over from my recent feature article on Mr. Fanning in trade-publication Public Utilities Fortnightly ( ), welcome to our podcast. Southern Company has $18 billion in annual revenues and is the second largest utility in the US, with 9 million gas and electric customers in 9 states. Tom Fanning has been Chairman and CEO since December of 2010. Tom has been very active in industry leadership. He is serving as EEI Chairman this year and is Chairman of the Electricity Sub-Sector Coordinating Council, the principal liaison between the electric sector and the federal government for coordinating efforts against cyber threats and physical terrorism. Moreover, Southern Company, under Tom’s leadership, is taking positions across a curiously wide spectrum of the nation’s energy value chain. I joined Tom Fanning in his office in Atlanta for this conversation on August 10th 2016. Part 1 of our discussion will reveal his rationale for Southern’s investment activities and his vision and leadership in actuating it. Southern Company has been building and buying in key areas including nuclear, renewables, natural gas, clean coal, and energy efficiency. If Southern’s sweeping strategic activity raises questions in the observance, Tom’s answers both illuminate Southern’s vision and illustrate the characteristics of his leadership. We sorted through what Tom calls his “All of the Above” approach by addressing Southern’s areas of investment one by one. More about Southern Company , Ticker:NYSE: SO ( ) More about Tom Fanning: Subscribe to the podcast at iTunes: or SoundCloud: Follow Leadership Lyceum on: LinkedIn: Twitter: @LeaderLyceum Email us: Please subscribe to the Leadership Lyceum at iTunes which will enable future content to come to you automatically. Rate us and spread the word among your fellow executives and board colleagues. Program Guide Part 1 of 2 Tom Fanning Interview 0:31 Introduction to Part 1 and Tom Fanning, Chairman and CEO of Southern Company 3:27 Sorting the All of the Above Strategy in Parts: Nuclear 5:56 Sorting the All of the Above Strategy in Parts: Clean Coal 8:36 Sorting the All of the Above Strategy in Parts: Renewables 9:34 Break 9:53 Sorting the All of the Above Strategy in Parts: Natural Gas 12:00 Sorting the All of the Above Strategy in Parts: Energy Efficiency 15.56 Break 16:15 Regulatory Entrepreneurship and Regulatory Constraints to Innovation 17:58 Financial Capacity and Constraints to Southern Company Growth 20:38 Wrap up of Part 1 of 2. Preview of Part 2. Biography on Tom Fanning Thomas A. (Tom) Fanning has been chairman, president and CEO of Southern Company since 2010. Under Fanning's leadership, Southern Company is focused on continually finding better ways to serve customers and communities with clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy. With more than 35 years of experience at Southern Company, Fanning also serves as chair of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta and holds senior positions in numerous business and public policy organizations, making him an internationally respected voice on issues ranging from energy innovation and economic growth to cybersecurity. Fanning is a passionate proponent of a common-sense national energy policy based on developing the full portfolio of energy resources. As such, Southern Company is the only U.S. energy provider investing in nuclear, 21st century coal, natural gas, renewables and energy efficiency. Through its subsidiaries, Southern Company is leading America's nuclear renaissance by constructing two state-of-the-art units in Georgia, building an innovative coal gasification facility in Mississippi and has added or announced more than 4,000 megawatts of renewable energy since 2012. Following the completion of its merger with Southern Company Gas (formerly AGL Resources), in July 2016, Southern Company now serves 9 million electric and gas utility customers across the United States. Building on a legacy of robust, proprietary research and development, Fanning also has challenged Southern Company's 32,500 employees to build the future of energy and develop real solutions that improve peoples' lives. Fanning says of Southern Company's mission: "In everything we do, our goal is to provide people with ways to better meet their economic challenges, build better communities and seek a better future for their children." Your host Thomas B. Linquist is a Partner at leading global executive search firm Heidrick & Struggles. Over his 15 years in management and leadership consulting he has served a wide array of industrial clients. This includes leadership assessment and search for chief executive officers, chief financial officers, chief operating officers and boards of directors. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and over his 25-year career has served in a variety of roles: as an engineer with Shell Oil Company, a banker with ABN AMRO Bank, and as treasurer was the youngest corporate officer in the 150+ year history at Peoples Energy Company in Chicago. He is an expert on hiring and promotion decisions and leadership development. Over the course of his search career, he has interviewed thousands of leaders. Please subscribe to the Leadership Lyceum at iTunes which will enable future content to come to you automatically. Rate us and spread the word among your fellow executives and board colleagues. Copyright 2016 by The Leadership Lyceum LLC
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Part 2 of 2 Interview “Leading in a Downturn” with Bryan Shinn, CEO of US Silica
08/15/2016
Part 2 of 2 Interview “Leading in a Downturn” with Bryan Shinn, CEO of US Silica
Welcome to Episode 4 of the “Leadership Lyceum: A CEO’s Virtual Mentor” podcast. This is Part 2 of a 2 part interview with Bryan Shinn, CEO of US Silica. US Silica () is a NYSE-listed $643 million revenue producer and distributor of commercial silica through two segments: 2/3 of revenues derived from Oil & Gas Proppants Segment - in essence as sand to prop and maintain fractured openings in oil and gas fracking applications. 1/3 of revenues derived from Industrial & Specialty Products (ISP) - for glassmaking, building products, filtration and chemical applications to name a few. In this Episode 4 in the Leadership Lyceum, Bryan will share his experience over his seven-year tenure at US Silica - first as head of Sales & Marketing for the Company and then as CEO and leading the company through an Initial Public Offering (IPO) during his first year as CEO. In Part 1 we focused on his moving from head of Sales & Marketing and then to President and CEO where he set the new strategy and transformed the Company through the IPO to the delight of his private equity investors Golden Gate Capital (). Our conversation in Part 2 covers his leadership through the downturn in their Oil & Gas segment. He will also share insight into his leadership as a CEO and advice for those aspiring to be a CEO. More about US Silica: Ticker USLC. More about Bryan Shinn: Subscribe to the podcast at iTunes: or SoundCloud: Follow Leadership Lyceum on: LinkedIn: Twitter: @LeaderLyceum Email us: Please subscribe to the Leadership Lyceum at iTunes which will enable future content to come to you automatically. Rate us and spread the word among your fellow executives and board colleagues. Program Guide Part 2 of 2 Bryan Shinn Interview 0:48 Introduction to Part 2 and Bryan Shinn, CEO of US Silica 1:56 Experience of Operating in a Downturn 11:40 Break 12:31 Approach to Customers in the Current Environment 15:15 Break 15:35 Approach to Leadership as CEO – 5 Key Areas of Leadership Focus 22:05 Break 22:30 Advice for Aspiring CEOs 31:08 Wrap Up and Conclusion of Episode 4 Biography on Bryan Shinn Bryan A. Shinn has served as president of US Silica since March 2011 and as chief executive officer and a member of the board of directors since January 2012. Prior to assuming this position, Mr. Shinn was senior vice president of sales and marketing from October 2009 to February 2011. Before joining US Silica, Mr. Shinn was employed by the E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company from 1983 to September 2009, where he held a variety of key leadership roles in operations, sales, marketing and business management, including global business director and global sales director. Mr. Shinn earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Delaware. As a result of these and other professional experiences, Mr. Shinn possesses particular knowledge and experience in operations, sales, marketing, management and corporate strategy that strengthen the board's collective qualifications, skills and experience. Your host Thomas B. Linquist is a Partner at leading global executive search firm Heidrick & Struggles. Over his 15 years in management and leadership consulting he has served a wide array of industrial clients. This includes leadership assessment and search for chief executive officers, chief financial officers, chief operating officers and boards of directors. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and over his 25-year career has served in a variety of roles: as an engineer with Shell Oil Company, a banker with ABN AMRO Bank, and as treasurer was the youngest corporate officer in the 150+ year history at Peoples Energy Company in Chicago. He is an expert on hiring and promotion decisions and leadership development. Over the course of his search career, he has interviewed thousands of leaders. Please subscribe to the Leadership Lyceum at iTunes which will enable future content to come to you automatically. Rate us and spread the word among your fellow executives and board colleagues. Copyright 2016 by The Leadership Lyceum LLC
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Part 1 of 2 Interview "Leading an IPO" with Bryan Shinn, CEO of US Silica
07/04/2016
Part 1 of 2 Interview "Leading an IPO" with Bryan Shinn, CEO of US Silica
Part 1 of 2 Interview Leading an IPO with Bryan Shinn, CEO of US Silica Welcome to Episode 4 of the “Leadership Lyceum: A CEO’s Virtual Mentor” podcast. This is Part 1 of a 2 part interview with Bryan Shinn, CEO of US Silica. US Silica () is a NYSE-listed $643 million revenue producer and distributor of commercial silica through two segments: 2/3 of revenues derived from Oil & Gas Proppants Segment - in essence as sand to prop and maintain fractured openings in oil and gas fracking applications. 1/3 of revenues derived from Industrial & Speciality Products (ISP) - for glassmaking, building products, filtration and chemical applications to name a few. In this Episode 4 in the Leadership Lyceum, Bryan will share his experience over his seven-year tenure at US Silica - first as head of Sales & Marketing for the Company and then as CEO and leading the company through an Initial Public Offering (IPO) during his first year as CEO. In Part 1 we will focus on his moving from head of Sales & Marketing and then to President and CEO where he set the new strategy and transformed the Company through the IPO to the delight of his private equity investors Golden Gate Capital (). Our conversation in Part 1 ranges from his transition to CEO, establishing a new culture, and his leadership through the IPO in early 2012. He will share advice, best practices and lessons learned from the IPO. More about US Silica: Ticker USLC. More about Bryan Shinn: Subscribe to the podcast at iTunes: or SoundCloud: Follow Leadership Lyceum on: LinkedIn: Twitter: @LeaderLyceum Email us: Please subscribe to the Leadership Lyceum at iTunes which will enable future content to come to you automatically. Rate us and spread the word among your fellow executives and board colleagues. Program Guide Part 1 of 2 Bryan Shinn Interview 1:04 Introduction to Part 1 and Bryan Shinn, CEO of US Silica 2:04 Introduction to US Silica 3:11 Interview: Process of Becoming CEO - From SVP of Sales & Marketing at US Silica 4:30 Development Toward Becoming CEO. Leadership in Setting Vision and New Strategic Direction 6:58 Developing Oil & Gas Organization from Scratch 8:08 Break 8:37 Transformation of Organization and Establishing a US Silica Culture: Five Tenets to Culture 11:10 Ensuring a Low Political Culture 13:10 Open Door Policy Between Management and Board of Directors 15:18 Potential Acquisition Targets - Using US Silica Stock as Currency 17:10 Break 17:27 IPO Experience: Advice and Reflection 20:02 Experience of IPO and Public Company Leadership Requirements 21:12 PE Ownership: Influence on Disciplines and Preparation for Pubic Ownership 22:30 Compliments to Golden Gate Capital, US Silica’s PE Owner going into the IPO 23:42 Shining Moments/Memories of the IPO 26:25 Specific Preparation for the IPO Transaction - Communications and Soliciting Investor Advice 28:59 Looking Back: Areas of Improvement in Approach to the IPO 30:35 Wrap Up/Preview of Part 2 and Conclusion of Interview with Bryan Shinn Biography on Bryan Shinn Bryan A. Shinn has served as president of US Silica since March 2011 and as chief executive officer and a member of the board of directors since January 2012. Prior to assuming this position, Mr. Shinn was senior vice president of sales and marketing from October 2009 to February 2011. Before joining US Silica, Mr. Shinn was employed by the E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company from 1983 to September 2009, where he held a variety of key leadership roles in operations, sales, marketing and business management, including global business director and global sales director. Mr. Shinn earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Delaware. As a result of these and other professional experiences, Mr. Shinn possesses particular knowledge and experience in operations, sales, marketing, management and corporate strategy that strengthen the board's collective qualifications, skills and experience. Your host Thomas B. Linquist is a Partner at leading global executive search firm Heidrick & Struggles. Over his 15 years in management and leadership consulting he has served a wide array of industrial clients. This includes leadership assessment and search for chief executive officers, chief financial officers, chief operating officers and boards of directors. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and over his 25-year career has served in a variety of roles: as an engineer with Shell Oil Company, a banker with ABN AMRO Bank, and as treasurer was the youngest corporate officer in the 150+ year history at Peoples Energy Company in Chicago. He is an expert on hiring and promotion decisions and leadership development. Over the course of his search career, he has interviewed thousands of leaders. Please subscribe to the Leadership Lyceum at iTunes which will enable future content to come to you automatically. Rate us and spread the word among your fellow executives and board colleagues. Copyright 2016 by Dinosaur Productions LLC
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Part 2 of 2 Interview with Bob Flexon, CEO of Dynegy in Houston
06/27/2016
Part 2 of 2 Interview with Bob Flexon, CEO of Dynegy in Houston
Part 2 of 2 Interview with Bob Flexon, CEO of Dynegy in Houston. Welcome to Episode 3 of the “Leadership Lyceum: A CEO’s Virtual Mentor” podcast. Part of a Sub-Series on “CEO from CFO” This is Part 2 of a 2 part interview with Bob Flexon, CEO of Dynegy. Dynegy is a $5.5 billion revenue independent power producer in the US operating 26,000 megawatts of power generating facilities in eight states. The capacity from 35 power stations provides capability to power 21 million homes. Bob will share his experience over his five-year tenure at Dynegy as CEO and leading the company through financial distress, an orderly bankruptcy and emergence, and substantial growth through acquisition upon the emergence. Part 1 focused on Bob’s establishment of the culture of the organization to create an environment that could thrive in the major business transformation that would ensue. In Part 2 we will explore Bob’s leadership through major transformational events. The value of mentors and his advice to CFOs, CEOs, and boards of directors toward development of CEO successors. More about Dynegy: Ticker DYN. More about Bob Flexon: More about Senn Delaney and Culture Shaping: Follow Leadership Lyceum on Twitter: @LeaderLyceum Email us: Please subscribe to the Leadership Lyceum at iTunes which will enable future content to come to you automatically. Rate us and spread the word among your fellow executives and board colleagues. Program Guide Part 2 of 2 Bob Flexon Interview 1:04 Introduction to Part 2 1:50 Background/Career History on Bob Flexon 4:06 Interview: Modification of Leadership – Moving from CFO to CEO 6:15 Impact of Influential People/Mentors: Bill Joyce, CEO at Hercules and David Crane, CEO at NRG 8:30 Break 8:49 Leading Outside Comfort Zone – Getting the Best Out of Individuals 12:08 Break 12:26 Development Advice for CFOs Aspiring to CEO 14:14 Advice to Boards for CEO Succession and Selection 15:32 Parting Thoughts – Company Culture and Culture’s Role in a Winning Organization 16:07 Wrap Up and Preview of Episode 4 – Interview with Bryan Shinn, CEO of US Silica Biography on Bob Flexon Robert Flexon is the president and CEO of Dynegy, an independent power producer based in Houston with 26,000 megawatts of power-generating facilities in eight states and revenue of $5.5 billion. Dynegy's 35 power stations provide electricity to 21 million homes in the Midwest, Northeast, and West Coast. Before coming to Dynegy in 2011, Flexon was CEO of Foster Wheeler, a global engineering and construction firm; and CFO and COO of independent power producer NRG. He has also held key finance and accounting positions with Hercules, a specialty chemical manufacturer, and Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO), an oil and gas extraction company. A certified public accountant, Flexon earned a BS in accounting from Villanova. He serves on the Board of Neighborhood Centers, the largest not-for-profit in Texas. Your host Thomas B. Linquist is a Partner at leading global executive search firm Heidrick & Struggles. Over his 15 years in management and leadership consulting he has served a wide array of industrial clients. This includes leadership assessment and search for chief executive officers, chief financial officers, chief operating officers and boards of directors. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and over his 25-year career has served in a variety of roles: as an engineer with Shell Oil Company, a banker with ABN AMRO Bank, and as treasurer was the youngest corporate officer in the 150+ year history at Peoples Energy Company in Chicago. He is an expert on hiring and promotion decisions and leadership development. Over the course of his search career he has interviewed thousands of leaders. Please subscribe to the Leadership Lyceum at iTunes which will enable future content to come to you automatically. Rate us and spread the word among your fellow executives and board colleagues. Copyright 2016 by Dinosaur Productions LLC
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Part 1 of 2 Interview with Bob Flexon, CEO of Dynegy in Houston
06/19/2016
Part 1 of 2 Interview with Bob Flexon, CEO of Dynegy in Houston
This is Part 1 of a 2 part interview with Bob Flexon, CEO of Dynegy. Dynegy is a $5.5 billion revenue independent power producer in the US operating 26,000 megawatts of power generating facilities in eight states. The capacity from 35 power stations provides capability to power 21 million homes. Bob will share his experience over his five-year tenure at Dynegy as CEO and leading the company through financial distress, an orderly bankruptcy and emergence, and substantial growth through acquisition upon the emergence. Part 1 will focus a great deal on Bob’s establishment of the culture of the organization to create an environment that could thrive in the major business transformation that would ensue. More about Dynegy: Ticker DYN. More about Bob Flexon: More about Senn Delaney and Culture Shaping: Please subscribe to the Leadership Lyceum at iTunes which will enable future content to come to you automatically. Rate us and spread the word among your fellow executives and board colleagues. Program Guide Part 1 of 2 Bob Flexon Interview 1:45 Introduction to Part 1 4:12 Getting the People on the Bus: Selecting the Team and Development of the Team 7:25 Culture Shaping in the Equation and the Senn Delaney Firm 9:00 Break 9:11 Behavioral Science Background Information – Life Events and Business Events 10:15 As Part of Acquisitions – Giving People the Culture Shaping Tools 11:23 Culture Shaping – Helped the Purchase of Assets from Ameren – Tom Voss 12:36 Culture Shaping – Providing a Framework and Tools for Moving from CFO to CEO 14:47 Break 15:06 Culture Shaping – The CEO’s “Purpose” 17:55 Communication and Being Here Now 21:55 Conclusion and Reflection and Preview of Part 2 of 2 Biography on Bob Flexon Robert Flexon is the president and CEO of Dynegy, an independent power producer based in Houston with 26,000 megawatts of power-generating facilities in eight states and revenue of $5.5 billion. Dynegy's 35 power stations provide electricity to 21 million homes in the Midwest, Northeast, and West Coast. Before coming to Dynegy in 2011, Flexon was CEO of Foster Wheeler, a global engineering and construction firm; and CFO and COO of independent power producer NRG. He has also held key finance and accounting positions with Hercules, a specialty chemical manufacturer, and Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO), an oil and gas extraction company. A certified public accountant, Flexon earned a BS in accounting from Villanova. He serves on the Board of Neighborhood Centers, the largest not-for-profit in Texas. Your host Thomas B. Linquist is a Partner at leading global executive search firm Heidrick & Struggles. Over his 15 years in management and leadership consulting he has served a wide array of industrial clients. This includes leadership assessment and search for chief executive officers, chief financial officers, chief operating officers and boards of directors. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and over his 25-year career has served in a variety of roles: as an engineer with Shell Oil Company, a banker with ABN AMRO Bank, and as treasurer was the youngest corporate officer in the 150+ year history at Peoples Energy Company in Chicago. He is an expert on hiring and promotion decisions and leadership development. Over the course of his search career he has interviewed thousands of leaders. Please subscribe to the Leadership Lyceum at iTunes which will enable future content to come to you automatically. Rate us and spread the word among your fellow executives and board colleagues. Copyright 2016 by Dinosaur Productions LLC
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