Aquarion President and Chief Executive Officer Richard K. Schmidt has been appointed president and CEO of Kelda Group Inc., the newly formed US holding company for Kelda Group plc, of Leeds, England. Aquarion became a subsidiary of Kelda Group plc when Kelda acquired Aquarion on January 7. The appointment is effective immediately. Schmidt will continue in his capacity as Aquarion President and CEO.
Schmidt's
appointment is one of several announced this month. BHC President and CEO James
S McInerney has been named BHC Chairman and Aquarion Executive Vice President,
Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer Janet M. Hansen has been appointed BHC
President and CEO. McInerney and Hansen will assume their new roles on April 1.
In
Schmidt's new position, he will serve as Kelda Group's primary US
representative, focusing on the company's pursuit of expansion opportunities in
the United States. "Aquarion has achieved many benefits from Rich's
expertise, foresight and strategic planning abilities I am confident that he
will apply the same talents to Kelda Group Inc. as we strive to expand our US
water business interests," Keld Chief Executive Kevin Bond said.
Schmidt
said he welcomes the challenges of Kelda Group Inc. "As the new US holding
company for Kelda Group plc, Kelda Group Inc. has very ambitious plans for the
future. I am eager to implement those plans."
Aquarion's
principal business is public water supply Through its BHC and Sea Cliff Water
Company subsidiaries, it is one of the 10 largest investor-owned water utilities
in the U.S. and serves 141,000 customers, or a population of more than 500,000,
in 30 Connecticut and Long Island, NY communities. Other businesses include
contract management of municipal water systems and timber processing.
Kelda
Group plc, Aquarion's parent, has annual revenues of $1.1 billion and operates
in the United Kingdom and Europe. Its water and sewerage services business,
Yorkshire Water Services, provides drinking water to approximately 1.9 million
customers, or a population of 4.5 million, in the County of Yorkshire, England.
It is one of the 10 largest water companies in the world. Yorkshire Water
Services supplies its customers with 350 million of gallons of water daily,
treated at 112 water treatment facilities.