Sempra Energy named a new CEO, Debra Reed, 55, more than a year in advance of CEO Donald Felsinger‘s mandatory retirement at age 65 late next year. A 33-year employee with the Sempra companies, Reed was also added to the board of directors where Felsinger will continue as executive chairman until his retirement. Sempra COO Neal Schmale will remain in his current role until his planned retirement later this year. Felsinger said the Sempra board early on identified Reed as a top candidate to succeed him, and with all of the business units “performing well financially, we felt the timing was ideal to begin our transition to a new generation of leadership at the company.” Reed had been executive vice president since April last year and was CEO of the Sempra California utilities before that. She is an engineering graduate from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles and began her career as a systems engineer with Sempra’s Southern California Gas Co. utility.

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