Sempra Energy Announces Executive Appointments

SAN DIEGO, Sept. 13, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Sempra Energy today announced several executive appointments as part of the company's ongoing leadership development and succession planning process.

Except where noted otherwise, all of the following appointments are effective Jan. 1, 2017.

"One of the cornerstones of our success has been our ability to organically develop a strong leadership team," said Debra L. Reed, chairman and CEO of Sempra Energy.  "We and our board of directors spend considerable time and effort identifying talented leaders within the organization and exposing them to different aspects of our business. Today's appointments represent another step forward in our succession planning process."  

Mark A. Snell, 60, president of Sempra Energy since 2011, announced that he plans to retire from the company March 1, 2017.

From 2006 to 2011, Snell was executive vice president and chief financial officer of Sempra Energy. From 2004 to 2005, he was group president overseeing Sempra Energy's businesses outside the California utilities.  In that position, he oversaw all aspects of Sempra Energy's activities in competitive energy markets, including energy trading, electric generation, liquefied natural gas (LNG), pipelines and storage facilities, international utilities and retail energy marketing.  Prior to that, he served as chief financial officer of this group.

Snell first joined Sempra Energy in 2001 as vice president of corporate planning and development. Previously, he held chief financial officer positions with Earth Tech, Inc., Dames & Moore, Inc., and Latham & Watkins LLP.  Snell holds a bachelor's degree in accounting from San Diego State University.

Joseph A. Householder, 61, currently executive vice president and chief financial officer of Sempra Energy, will be named to the newly created position, corporate group president of infrastructure businesses for Sempra Energy, reporting to Reed.

As corporate group president of infrastructure businesses, Householder will oversee Sempra Energy operations in midstream, LNG, renewable energy and Mexico.

Householder has been Sempra Energy's executive vice president and chief financial officer since 2011. Previously, he was senior vice president, controller and chief accounting officer, overseeing the financial reporting and controls, financial planning and tax functions for Sempra Energy. He also served as vice president of corporate tax and chief tax counsel for Sempra Energy.

Prior to joining Sempra Energy in 2001, he was a partner in the national tax office of PriceWaterhouseCoopers LLP and also served in several key management positions at Unocal Corp.

Earlier in his career, Householder served as an attorney and a certified public accountant at firms in the Los Angeles area.

Householder holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Southern California and a law degree from Loyola Law School.  He also has completed the executive program at UCLA Anderson School.

Householder is a member of the board of directors of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc., and also is a member of the Tax Executives Institute, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, California Bar and American Bar Association.

Steven D. Davis, 60, currently executive vice president of external affairs and corporate strategy for Sempra Energy, will be named to the newly created position, corporate group president of utilities for Sempra Energy, reporting to Reed.  Davis also will chair the Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) and San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) boards of directors.

As corporate group president of utilities, Davis will oversee operations at Sempra Energy's utilities in California and South America.

Davis has served as Sempra Energy's executive vice president of external affairs and corporate strategy since last year.  Previously, he was president and chief operating officer of SDG&E from 2014 to 2015.  Prior to that, from 2012 to 2013, Davis was senior vice president of external affairs for Sempra Energy. Previously, he served as Sempra Energy's vice president of investor relations and corporate communications, and vice president of communications and community partnerships.

Davis was senior vice president of external relations and chief financial officer for SDG&E and SoCalGas from 2004 to 2006.  Prior to that, he was senior vice president of customer service and external relations for SDG&E and SoCalGas and vice president of distribution operations for SDG&E.  Davis first joined SDG&E in 1980 as an accountant.

Davis holds a bachelor's degree in business administration (with honors) from San Diego State University.  He is a board member of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and also serves on the board of directors of the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation.

Jeffrey W. Martin, 54, currently chairman, president and CEO of SDG&E, will become executive vice president and chief financial officer of Sempra Energy, reporting to Reed.

In his new role, Martin will oversee all financial matters for the company, including business development and major acquisitions.

Martin has served as SDG&E's CEO since 2014 and as its chairman and president since last year.  Previously, he was president and CEO of Sempra U.S. Gas & Power, LLC and its predecessor organization, Sempra Generation, from 2010 to 2013.  Martin served as vice president of investor relations for Sempra Energy from 2006 to 2010.  He joined Sempra Energy in 2004.

Previously in his career, Martin was senior vice president and chief financial officer of NewEnergy, Inc., served as corporate counsel at Tucson Electric Power Co. and was an attorney with the law firm of Snell & Wilmer, LLP, in Phoenix.

Martin has a bachelor's degree from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, a master's degree in public administration from the University of Texas, El Paso, and a law degree from the University of Miami, Coral Gables, Fla.  He currently serves on the boards of directors of the California Chamber of Commerce and Edison Electric Institute, as well as the board of trustees of the University of San Diego.  Martin is a member of the Western Electric Industry Leaders and the National Association of Corporate Directors.  He also recently served on the boards of directors of the National Association of Manufacturers and the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Dennis V. Arriola, 55, currently chairman, president and CEO of SoCalGas, will become executive vice president of corporate strategy and external affairs for Sempra Energy, reporting to Reed.

In his new role, Arriola will be responsible for corporate strategy and will oversee all communications, government relations, regulatory and international affairs activities, as well as corporate social responsibility, for Sempra Energy.

From 2012 to 2013, Arriola was president and chief operating officer of SoCalGas.  Previously, from 2008 to 2012, he left the company to work at SunPower Corp., a global solar panel manufacturer based in San Jose, Calif., where he served as executive vice president and chief financial officer.

From 2006 to 2008, Arriola was senior vice president and chief financial officer of both SDG&E and SoCalGas.  Prior to that, Arriola also served as vice president of communications and investor relations for Sempra Energy and regional vice president and general manager of Sempra Energy's South American operations.  Arriola first joined the company in 1994 as treasurer for Pacific Enterprises/SoCalGas.

Arriola has a master's degree in business administration from Harvard University and a bachelor's degree in economics from Stanford University.  He serves on the boards of directors of the United Way of Greater Los Angeles, Southern California Leadership Council, American Gas Association, California Business Roundtable and Latino Donor Collaborative.

Patricia K. Wagner, 54, currently president and CEO of Sempra U.S. Gas & Power, will become CEO of SoCalGas, reporting to Davis.  Until she assumes her new position in January 2017, Wagner has been appointed an executive vice president for Sempra Energy, effective immediately.

Wagner has served as president and CEO of Sempra U.S. Gas & Power since 2014.

After joining SoCalGas in 1995, she held several leadership positions in the company, including: vice president of audit services for Sempra Energy; vice president of accounting and finance for SoCalGas; vice president of information technology for SDG&E and SoCalGas; and vice president of the Operational Excellence transformational program for SDG&E and SoCalGas. Wagner also has served in key management roles at SDG&E and SoCalGas in gas distribution operations and customer services.

Prior to joining SoCalGas, Wagner held management positions at Fluor Daniel, McGaw Laboratories and Allergan Pharmaceuticals.

Wagner has a master's degree in business administration from Pepperdine University and a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.  She currently serves on the board of directors for Apogee Enterprises, Inc.  Previously, she was a board member for the Classroom of the Future Foundation in San Diego and a member of the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation. She also has volunteered with the Girl Scouts of America.

Effective immediately, J. Bret Lane, 57, has been appointed president of SoCalGas and will continue in his role as SoCalGas' chief operating officer, reporting to the CEO of SoCalGas.

Lane has been the chief operating officer of SoCalGas since 2014.  Previously, he was the senior vice president of gas operations & system integrity for SoCalGas and SDG&E, responsible for all aspects of gas delivery services, including region operations, engineering, transmission, storage and pipeline safety.

From 2010 to 2012, he served as vice president of field services for SoCalGas and SDG&E.  Prior to that, Lane was vice president of gas transmission & distribution for SoCalGas.

Lane was vice president of environmental, safety & facilities and chief environmental officer for SoCalGas and SDG&E from 2005 to 2008.  Previously, he was vice president of labor relations, responsible for all collective bargaining with the labor unions at SoCalGas. Lane first joined SoCalGas in 1982 in the transmission & storage operations group.

Lane holds a bachelor's degree in petroleum engineering from Oklahoma State University.  Lane serves on the boards of directors of the Gas Technology Institute and Western Energy Institute, and on the board of advisors of the UC Davis Energy Efficiency Center.

Scott D. Drury, 51, currently chief energy supply officer for SDG&E, will become president of SDG&E, reporting to Davis.

Drury has served as SDG&E's chief energy supply officer since last year, overseeing electric transmission operations, utility-owned power generation and energy procurement.  Previously, he was SDG&E's vice president of human resources, diversity and inclusion from 2011 to 2015.  Prior to 2011, Drury was director of safety and emergency services and director of supply management for both SDG&E and SoCalGas.  From 1998 to 2007, he held various positions of increasing responsibility at SDG&E.

Drury holds a bachelor's degree in public administration and a master's degree in business administration from San Diego State University.  He holds a certificate in human resources and labor relations from Cornell University.  Drury serves on the board of directors of the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation and the advisory board of Alzheimer's San Diego. 

Caroline A. Winn, 53, chief energy delivery officer for SDG&E, will become chief operating officer of SDG&E, reporting to Drury. 

Winn has served as SDG&E's chief energy delivery officer since last year, overseeing electric distribution operations and gas services, customer services, and external and state legislative affairs for SDG&E.

From 2010 to 2015, Winn was vice president of customer services for SDG&E.  Previously, she served as director of distribution operations, director of electric distributions operations, director of electric distribution services and director of supply management for SDG&E from 2000 to 2010.

Winn first joined SDG&E in 1986 as an associate engineer and has held positions of increasing responsibility with the utility.

She holds a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from California State University, Sacramento, and is a registered professional engineer in the state of California. Winn serves on the board of directors of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, Western Energy Institute and the Classroom of the Future Foundation. She also serves on the board of advisors of the UC Davis Energy Efficiency Center.

Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE), based in San Diego, is a Fortune 500 energy services holding company with 2015 revenues of more than $10 billion. The Sempra Energy companies' 17,000 employees serve more than 32 million consumers worldwide.

This press release contains statements that are not historical fact and constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.  These statements can be identified by words like "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "plans," "estimates,"  "projects," "forecasts," "contemplates," "intends," "assumes," "depends," "should," "could," "would," "will," "confident," "may," "potential," "possible,"  "proposed,"  "target," "pursue," "goals," "outlook," "maintain," or similar expressions or discussions of guidance, strategies, plans, goals, opportunities, projections, initiatives, objectives or intentions.  Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance.  They involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions.  Future results may differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements. 

Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon various assumptions involving judgments with respect to the future and other risks, including, among others:  local, regional, national and international economic, competitive, political, legislative, legal and regulatory conditions, decisions and developments; actions and the timing of actions, including general rate case decisions, new regulations, issuances of permits to construct, operate and maintain facilities and equipment and to use land, franchise agreements and licenses for operation, by the California Public Utilities Commission, California State Legislature, U.S. Department of Energy, California Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, California Energy Commission, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, California Air Resources Board, South Coast Air Quality Management District, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Mexican Competition Commission, states, cities and counties, and other regulatory and governmental bodies in the countries in which we operate; the timing and success of business development efforts and construction, maintenance and capital projects, including risks in obtaining, maintaining or extending permits, licenses, certificates and other authorizations on a timely basis, risks in obtaining the consent of our partners, and risks in obtaining adequate and competitive financing for such projects; the resolution of civil and criminal litigation and regulatory investigations; deviations from regulatory precedent or practice that result in a reallocation of benefits or burdens among shareholders and ratepayers, and delays in, or disallowance or denial of, regulatory agency authorization to recover costs in rates from customers; the availability of electric power, natural gas and liquefied natural gas, and natural gas pipeline and storage capacity, including disruptions caused by failures in the North American transmission grid, moratoriums on the ability to withdraw natural gas from or inject natural gas into storage facilities, pipeline explosions and equipment failures; energy markets; the timing and extent of changes and volatility in commodity prices; the impact on the value of our natural gas storage and related assets and our investments from low natural gas prices, low volatility of natural gas prices and the inability to procure favorable long-term contracts for natural gas storage services; risks posed by decisions and actions of third parties who control the operations of investments in which we do not have a controlling interest, and risks that our partners or counterparties will be unable (due to liquidity issues, bankruptcy or otherwise) or unwilling to fulfill their contractual commitments; weather conditions, natural disasters, catastrophic accidents, equipment failures, terrorist attacks and other events that may disrupt our operations, damage our facilities and systems, cause the release of greenhouse gasses, radioactive materials and harmful emissions, and subject us to third-party liability for property damage or personal injuries, fines and penalties, some of which may not be covered by insurance (including costs in excess of applicable policy limits) or may be disputed by insurers; cybersecurity threats to the energy grid, natural gas storage and pipeline infrastructure, the information and systems used to operate our businesses and the confidentiality of our proprietary information and the personal information of our customers and employees; failure to obtain regulatory approval for projects required to enhance safety and reliability; the ability to win competitively bid infrastructure projects against a number of strong competitors willing to aggressively bid for these projects; capital markets conditions, including the availability of credit and liquidity of our investments, and inflation, interest and currency exchange rates; disallowance of regulatory assets associated with, or decommissioning costs of, the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station facility due to increased regulatory oversight, including motions to modify settlements; expropriation of assets by foreign governments and title and other property disputes; the impact on reliability of San Diego Gas & Electric Company's (SDG&E) electric transmission and distribution system due to increased amount and variability of power supply from renewable energy sources and increased reliance on natural gas and natural gas transmission systems; the impact on competitive customer rates of the growth in distributed and local power generation and the corresponding decrease in demand for power delivered through SDG&E's electric transmission and distribution system; the inability or determination not to enter into long-term supply and sales agreements or long-term firm capacity agreements due to insufficient market interest, unattractive pricing or other factors; and other uncertainties, all of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond our control.

These risks and uncertainties are further discussed in the reports that Sempra Energy has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These reports are available through the EDGAR system free-of-charge on the SEC's website, www.sec.gov, and on the company's website at www.sempra.com. Investors should not rely unduly on any forward-looking statements.  These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof, and the company undertakes no obligation to update or revise these forecasts or projections or other forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Sempra International, LLC, Sempra U.S. Gas & Power, LLC, and Sempra Partners, LP, are not the same companies as the California utilities, San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) or Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas), and Sempra International, LLC, Sempra U.S. Gas & Power, LLC, and Sempra Partners, LP, are not regulated by the California Public Utilities Commission. Sempra International's underlying entities include Sempra Mexico and Sempra South American Utilities. Sempra U.S. Gas & Power's underlying entities include Sempra Renewables and Sempra Natural Gas.

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