Avangrid appoints a new CEO

A high-level executive with a San Diego-based utility company has been named as the new chief executive officer of Orange-based Avangrid.

Dennis Arriola, an executive vice president with Sempra Energy, will begin his new job July 20. Arriola will replace James Torgerson, who is retiring on June 23 after nearly 14 years as the top executive at Avangrid and its precursor, UIL Holdings.

Torgerson has served as Avangrid’s chief executive and as a member of its board of directors since December 2015. Avangrid was created following the acquisition of UIL Holdings by Iberdrola to oversee the Spanish energy giant’s utility holdings in the United States.

Arriola has more than 25 years experience as an executive in the energy business, including having served as chairman, president and chief executive officer of Southern California Gas Co.

Ignacio Galan, chairman of Avangrid’s board, said Arriola’s “substantial experience in the energy sector, including utilities and renewables, as well as his deep strategic, financial and operating background make him a natural choice to lead Avangrid and execute our long-term strategy to become a leading sustainable energy company.”

“Dennis has a track record of developing strong teams and as an engaging leader who is as much focused on delivering shareholder returns as he is on building a strong company reputation based on purpose and values,” Galan said in a statement.

Arriola’s leadership experience in the sustainable energy field includes a stint as executive vice president and chief financial officer for SunPower Corp., a Silicon Valley-based solar company.

Arriola called Avangrid “an extraordinary company.”

“I am very excited and honored to lead this organization as it moves into its next phase of growth,” he said in a statement. “The energy sector is at a transformational point and Avangrid is well positioned to deliver clean energy solutions to its customers and help develop the infrastructure necessary to meet our future climate goals.”

Arriola currently serves as chairman of the board for the California Latino Economic Institute. He previously served as chairman of the California Business Roundtable and on the board of the United Way of Greater Los Angeles.

Torgerson will retire the day after Avangrid holds its annual shareholders meeting. He became chief executive of UIL Holdings in July 2006, replacing Nat Woodson.

Torgerson came to UIL Holdings from a regional electric grid operator, the Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator. Torgerson was president and chief executive of the grid operator as well as a member of the organization’s board of directors.

Avangrid owns eight electric and natural gas utilities, including The United Illuminating Co., Southern Connecticut Gas and Connecticut Natural Gas, which serve more than 3.3 million customers in New York and New England. The company has 6,600 employees overall, including 1,700 in Connecticut.

Arriola