Lesley Gallinger will join the Ontario Independent Electricity System Operators (IESO) as its new President and CEO on May 25, 2021.
Gallinger brings extensive experience to the role, having previously led strategic initiatives, mergers, regulatory affairs, and financial responsibilities during her energy career.
She has held leadership roles at the Oakville Hydro Corp, the Electricity Safety Authority, and most recently and notable as the inaugural CEO and President of Elexicon Energy Inc, a merger between Veridian Connections Inc. and Whitby Hydro Electric Corporation.
We are proud to see the IESO appoint its first female CEO. As a company with a passion for supporting women in leadership roles, especially in the energy industry, we feel an extra note of congratulations is deserved. Congratulations, Lesley Gallinger – you’re inspiring many Women In Energy.
“Gallinger will bring a fresh and unique perspective to the role at the IESO.”
Gallinger will have her work cut out for her, though. The past year has been challenging for the IESO – from managing extreme summer demand conditions, navigating changing load profiles impacted by the pandemic, and determining how the provincial grid can work with distributed energy resources.
Assuming this leadership position during this unusual time, Gallinger will bring a fresh and unique perspective to the role at the IESO – a distribution point of view. While previous IESO leaders have originated from generation careers, we expect Gallinger’s electricity leadership experience will accelerate innovation. We look forward to what she has planned.