Navigant Energy Practice Expands Senior Leadership Team

Strategic senior hires and promotions support continued growth of the Firm’s Energy practice

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 18, 2014-- Today, Navigant (NYSE: NCI) announced the addition of five senior strategic hires to the Firm’s growing Energy practice. In addition, two Energy practice professionals have been promoted to Director to support the growing client needs within the practice.

“The Energy sector is experiencing significant change due to increased regulatory requirements, alternative power sources and shifting commodity markets,” said Lee Spirer, Executive Vice President and Global Business Leader. “Augmenting the deep expertise in our Energy practice with these leaders is consistent with our company growth aspirations to focus on markets where structural catalysts drive demand for our expert advice and execution capabilities.”

“We’re delighted about the expertise and expanded market presence this new group of leaders brings to Navigant’s Energy practice,” said Jan Vrins, Managing Director and leader of Navigant’s Global Energy Practice. “The addition of these seven industry leaders to senior positions supports the continued growth of our team and will have an immediate impact on the services we provide to our energy clients.”

Andrew Rea, Managing Director, Los Angeles, CA – Energy Innovator

Rea is at the forefront of developing and implementing cutting-edge strategies to thrive in the increasingly competitive energy marketplace in North America. He has led innovative engagements for new transmission business strategies and has experience identifying solutions to simplify the deployment of renewable energy, including evaluating renewable energy projects and contracts for major utility and institutional clients. As a leader for organizational change initiatives, Rea has experience implementing new processes and systems for trading, procurement and risk management organizations. He has served as a senior advisor on major transformation projects on behalf of a broad range of clients, and has developed and implemented merger and acquisition strategies on behalf of major energy companies. Rea has testified as an expert witness before regulatory and judicial bodies in the U.S. and Canada.

Charley Budd, Director, Chicago, IL – Energy Efficiency and Regulatory Change

Budd has extensive energy efficiency, demand side management, rates and regulatory experience. His experience includes energy efficiency program planning and implementation for utility clients. Recent projects include demand-side planning, portfolio and program design, program operations, training and evaluation interface. He has held management positions at two large Midwest utilities where his responsibilities included demand-side management planning and program operations, rates and regulatory and gas customer choice.

Dr. Bijoy Chatt, Director, San Francisco, CA – Non-Traditional Alternatives Innovator

Chatt’s experience includes developing asset integrity management systems and risk-based maintenance practices, conducting due diligence, developing market strategies, market modeling and business planning for large transmission projects. He is also versed in asset management, distributed energy resource integration, smart grid data analytics and transmission strategies. Previously, Chatt worked for an electric apparatus manufacturing company where he designed one of the first digital fault recorder/synchrophasor/phasor measurement units, and helped to deploy the product across various utilities. He also has significant international experience, which includes work in Canada, Brazil, Russia and Saudi Arabia.

Larry Gelbien, Director, Burlington, MA – Emerging Technologies

Gelbien has more than thirty years of electric utility experience with a focus in engineering, smart grid technology, grid resiliency, renewable resources, operations and planning. Prior to joining Navigant, he served as Vice President of Engineering for NSTAR Electric, where his responsibilities included transmission, substation, distribution engineering, planning, advance communications, NERC compliance, smart grid initiatives, and operations business integration. Gelbien has conducted extensive research in a number of emerging technologies including renewable energy, storage, distribution automation, high temperature superconductors, advance sensing devices, and storm resiliency. He has also held lead roles in a number of regulatory collaborative efforts addressing distributed generation interconnection process and grid modernization. Gelbien holds three U.S. Patents for advanced technologies in the areas of distribution automation, control systems for utility equipment, and stray voltage detection.

Greg Wikler, Director, San Francisco, CA – Seasoned Energy Expert

With more than 25 years of energy industry experience, Wikler brings unique insight to the delivery of demand response, energy efficiency and smart grid services. He has led industry collaborations on energy efficiency program reforms, engaged with policymakers and researchers to develop evaluation frameworks for operational efficiency/strategic energy management programs and he has assessed demand response technology innovations, including integration with renewable energy resources. Wikler holds a number of industry leadership positions, including Vice Chair for the California Energy Efficiency Industry Council, Board Director for the Association of Energy Service Professionals and Awards Committee Chair for the Peak Load Management Alliance.

Julianne Meurice, Director, Chicago, IL – Demand-Side Management

Meurice, whose recent experience in developing and evaluating energy efficiency programs, focusing on commercial and industrial programs, process evaluation and strategic marketing for Navigant, has been promoted to Director. She currently oversees the refinement of Navigant’s approach to measuring market effects from demand side management (DSM) programs and has worked on redefining the DSM business model within utilities. She has also been involved with enhancing the value of process evaluations through benchmarking and assessing renewable energy and smart grid programs.

Jane Pater Salmon, Director, Boulder, CO – Business, Technology and Policy Expert

Salmon, who has a proven track record of leading complex, inter-disciplinary projects that integrate stakeholder input to meet client objectives, has been promoted to Director. She works at the interface of business, technology and policy, and covers a variety of energy efficiency and renewable energy topic areas, including market transformation, process evaluations and potential studies that inform policymaking. Currently, Salmon is working with clients to determine the extent of market transformation during the $3 billion California Solar Initiative, to inform decisions about goals for utilities’ energy efficiency portfolios, and to determine the effectiveness of a technical assistance program.

For more information about Navigant’s Energy Practice, go to www.navigant.com/energy.

About Navigant

Navigant (NYSE: NCI) is a specialized, global expert services firm dedicated to assisting clients in creating and protecting value in the face of critical business risks and opportunities. Through senior level engagement with clients, Navigant professionals combine technical expertise in Disputes and Investigations, Economics, Financial Advisory and Management Consulting, with business pragmatism in the highly regulated Construction, Energy, Financial Services and Healthcare industries to support clients in addressing their most critical business needs. More information about Navigant can be found at www.navigant.com.

Source: Navigant

Navigant
Laverne Murach
202.481.7336
laverne.murach@navigant.com