Enmax names new CEO

City-owned utility Enmax Corp. has named its new CEO.

The company announced Wednesday that Wayne O’connor will replace outgoing president and CEO Gianna Manes, effective June 22.

O’connor most recently served as president and CEO of Nova Scotia Power. Prior to that, he held a series of executive leadership positions across Emera Inc. companies, including president and chief operating officer of Emera Energy.

Emera Inc. is a publicly traded Canadian energy company based in Nova Scotia. In March, Enmax acquired Emera Maine — which had been a subsidiary of Emera Inc. — for US$1.3 billion.

O’connor grew up in Brooks and attended the University of Lethbridge.

He served in various positions with TC Energy in Calgary (formerly TransCanada Pipelines) before moving to Eastern Canada in 2003.

Manes — who has been at the helm of Enmax for the past seven years during a turbulent time in Alberta’s electricity industry — announced her intention a year ago to depart in 2020 to join family members in the U.S. At the time of her announcement, Mayor Naheed Nenshi praised Manes for being behind a “reset” of the utility’s corporate culture that ended perks and executive compensation that was “out of control.”

“On behalf of the Board, we want to thank Gianna for her leadership and invaluable contributions,” Enmax board chair Greg Melchin said in a news release Wednesday. “We now welcome Wayne to lead Enmax’s next chapter.”