 | Denis P. O’BrienExecutive Vice President, Exelon Corporation; President and Chief Executive Officer, PECO |
Profile
O’Brien is responsible for leadership of PECO’s operations and overall performance associated with service reliability, customer satisfaction, financial management, and regulatory and external affairs. Based in Philadelphia, PECO is Pennsylvania’s largest electric and natural gas utility. PECO employs about 2,400 people, owns $9 billion in assets, and generates approximately $5.6 billion in annual revenues. PECO serves 1.6 million electric and 485,000 gas customers in southeastern Pennsylvania. PECO is a subsidiary of Exelon Corporation, one of the nation’s leading energy services companies. Exelon is headquartered in Chicago and trades on the NYSE under the ticker EXC.
Professional History
O’Brien was appointed to the top leadership position for PECO in 2003 and was named president and CEO in 2007. He has 30 years of utility experience in engineering, operations, strategic planning and executive management. Previously, he served as executive vice president and as vice president for operations with responsibility for engineering, construction, maintenance and emergency response for the company’s natural gas and electric distribution systems. His special assignments have included strategic planning on mergers and acquisitions, development of the company’s deregulation strategy and organizational redesigns to improve performance. PECO has been highly recognized for leading employee safety, diversity, economic development and environmental programs.
“PECO’s renewable energy credit commitment avoids carbon dioxide emissions equal to taking about 60,000 cars off the road each year.”
Civic Involvement
O’Brien serves on the Board of Independence Blue Cross. He also serves on numerous civic and industry boards, including the Energy Association of Pennsylvania, American Gas Association, Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), as well as the Pennsylvania Business Council, Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, The CEO Council for Growth, The Franklin Institute, and the Drexel University board of trustees. He also has previously served on the board of directors for the Pennsylvania Economy League, YMCA of Greater Philadelphia and WHYY, Inc.
Education
O’Brien holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from Rutgers University and earned a master’s degree in business from Drexel University.
Family
O’Brien and his wife, Carolyn, have three children.