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(November 18, 2020 7:00 AM) In a surprise announcement, CMS Energy said today that Patti Poppe is leaving the company, effective December 1, 2020, to take the position as CEO at PG&E Corporation in California. Garrick Rochow, current executive vice president of operations, will succeed Poppe as CMS Energy and Consumers Energy president and chief executive officer and on CMS Energy’s Board of Directors. Poppe has served as president and chief executive officer of CMS Energy and Consumers Energy since 2016.

“I’m pleased to announce Garrick Rochow as president and CEO of CMS Energy and Consumers Energy. Garrick’s leadership approach, vast industry and company expertise will take CMS Energy and Consumers Energy to the next level,” said John G. Russell, chairman of the CMS Energy Board of Directors. “You can count on CMS Energy to have consistent and predictable performance because of our strong succession planning and the quality of our executive team. I wish Patti the best of luck.”

“Since 2011, I have considered CMS Energy as my home and my co-workers as my family and I will miss everyone immensely,” said Patti Poppe, outgoing President and CEO of CMS Energy and Consumers Energy. “Garrick is a world class leader and will continue to deliver on the triple bottom line of people, planet and prosperity as we have for many years now.”

Prior to her role as President and CEO of CMS Energy, Ms. Poppe held other leadership positions in the utility, including Senior Vice President of Distribution Operations, Engineering and Transmission, with overall responsibility for Consumers Energy’s electric and natural gas distribution systems, energy operations, and electric transmission. Her earlier roles at the utility focused on operations and customer experience.

Before joining CMS Energy, Ms. Poppe worked for DTE Energy for five years, first as a Power Plant Director, then as a Director of Regulated Marketing and Energy Optimization. Prior to her time at DTE, Ms. Poppe worked at General Motors for 15 years in various roles. Ms. Poppe holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in industrial engineering from Purdue University, as well as a master’s degree in management from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business.

Poppe had returned to her hometown when joining Consumers Energy and many expected her to remain longer, as her focus on remaking the utility a hometown company was at the forefront of many initiatives. 

Poppe, and her husband Eric, established the Dream Makers Fund with a contribution of $1 million to help local businesses weather the pandemic this past spring.  The Poppe family built a lakefront home here and Ms. Poppe had long been rumored to have political aspirations here in Michigan.

Rochow, 46, has been with CMS Energy for 17 years, with over 20 years of industry experience, and has held his current position since July 2016. In this role, he is responsible for the company’s electric and natural gas distribution and transmission operations, generation, and compression operations. Prior to this role, Rochow served in a variety of leadership positions across the business as Consumers Energy’s senior vice president of distribution and customer operations, vice president of customer experience, rates and regulation and quality and chief customer officer after serving as vice president of energy delivery. He also works closely with the Michigan Public Service Commission, state and federal legislators and is on the Board of Directors of the Right Place in Grand Rapids.

Rochow graduated from Michigan Technological University with a bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering and earned a master’s degree in business administration from Western Michigan University. He also has attended an executive education program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Wisconsin School of Business.

              “I am honored to have the opportunity to lead a company with amazing co-workers who make a difference every day for our customers, investors and the communities we serve,” said Rochow. “I look forward to continuing our strong operational and financial performance, while creating an environment that keeps our customers and co-workers safe, reflects our culture and is inclusive and respectful of everyone.”

The PG&E Corporation Board of Directors appointed Ms. Poppe following a broad national search that looked at candidates both inside and outside of the utility and energy industries. The Board thoroughly evaluated candidates over the last several months.

“I have every confidence Patti will hit the ground running and lead PG&E forward,” said Bill Smith, PG&E Corporation’s Interim CEO. “She is incredibly smart, knows the operations side of this business, and brings to her work curiosity, dedication, and warmth. These qualities will serve her well as she brings PG&E into the future. I look forward to introducing Patti to our talented workforce, welcoming her to California, and working closely with her in the years ahead.”

PG&E Corporation is a holding company headquartered in San Francisco. It is the parent company of Pacific Gas and Electric Company, an energy company that serves 16 million Californians across a 70,000-square-mile service area in Northern and Central California.

Poppe will be taking on the leadership of a company facing a host of problems.  In July, PG&E emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy after it agreed to $25.5 billion in settlements over claims that its equipment sparked a series of wildfires in the past five years. In June, PG&E pleaded guilty to 84 counts of manslaughter for its role in sparking the deadly 2018 Camp Fire that burned more than 153,000 acres, wrecked 18,800 buildings and destroyed the town of Paradise in Butte County.

With the appointment of Poppe, PG&E is aiming to restore its damaged reputation with state regulators, lawmakers and customers after having been blamed for starting some of California’s worst fires.

Poppe begins her new position in January 2021.

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