BURLINGTON, MA--(Marketwire - May 25, 2010) - The New York State Smart Grid Consortium Chairman Robert Catell will be a featured speaker at KEMA's third annual Utility of the Future Leadership Forum, "Strategic Choices -- Striking Equilibrium." Catell will join energy and utility industry CEOs in sharing their insights on strategy and challenges to engage customers and achieve a sustainable energy supply at the KEMA event, being held June 23 - 25, 2010 at The Four Seasons, Washington D.C.
The New York State Smart Grid Consortium was formed in early 2009 to create a vehicle to coordinate smart grid activities in the State, including utility smart grid projects as well as the numerous and varied R&D and manufacturing start up activities related to smart grid. The Consortium is currently developing an analysis of total state costs and benefits associated with smart grid deployment, changes in the energy markets and infrastructure, and economic development of smart grid industries. It will be developing a roadmap for state deployment to maximize the immediate benefits of different technologies and potential policy decisions.
Catell will be providing a special address on Friday, June 25th on the role of the utility CEO in the face of change. Catell is also the chairman of the Advanced Energy Research and Technology Center (AERTC) at New York State University at Stony Brook, a partnership of academic and research institutions, energy providers and industrial corporations focused on innovations in energy research, education and technology development in efficiency, conservation, renewables and nanotechnology applications for new energy sources. He is also a board member of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and formerly served as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of KeySpan Corporation and KeySpan Energy Delivery, and Chairman of National Grid, U.S.
"The singular, most important thing a utility CEO needs to focus on is setting the vision and the strategy of the company going forward," said Catell. "With the rapid advancements in grid technologies, the unknowns in energy and carbon policies and the evolving energy markets and infrastructure, this is no easy task for today's utility CEO. They need to go beyond having the management team in place and properly motivating the team to support and deliver on that strategy. Their vision and strategy needs a flexible, forward-looking roadmap that anticipates, guides and adapts to emerging sea change underway in our energy system -- all in a way that delivers value to all stakeholders."
KEMA's annual Utility of the Future leadership series is gathering industry executives, senior financial analysts, government officials and other utility stakeholders to discuss strategic directions in balancing changing customer expectations, technologies and environmental policies and regulations. Leaders and innovators across the energy industry will take part in discussions focused on customer engagement, investment strategy, regulatory policy and the state of carbon and environmental issues, and they will explore strategic views of what a sustainable, intelligent infrastructure will look like.
Senior executives are invited to join their peers in the Utility of the Future discussion to share ideas and discover opportunities to shape a more sustainable, reliable and profitable utility of the future. Throughout the event, forum participants will have high-level networking opportunities to share perspectives, collaborate and engage in dialogue. To register, and for more information, visit: www.kema.com/UtilityFuture2010.
About KEMA
Founded in 1927, KEMA is a global provider of business and technical consulting, operational support, measurement and inspection, testing and certification for the energy and utility industry. With world headquarters in Arnhem, the Netherlands, KEMA employs more than 1,600 professionals globally with offices and representatives in more than 20 countries. KEMA's US subsidiary, KEMA Inc. is headquartered in Burlington, Mass. and serves energy clients throughout the Americas and Caribbean.
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