Leadership Lyceum Podcast
Thomas Linquist is founder of The Leadership Lyceum and Managing Partner of Lyceum Leadership Consulting. He focuses on senior-level search assignments, including CEO and board of director roles within the power, utility and infrastructure sectors. See the complete body of leadership podcasts, interviews, and articles at www.LeadershipLyceum.com.
Jeff Lyash is President and CEO of Ontario Power Generation.
I joined Jeff Lyash, president and chief executive officer of Ontario Power Generation, at his office in Toronto for this discussion. Jeff joined OPG and was appointed CEO on August 21, 2015.
OPG is wholly owned by the province of Ontario. OPG was created as part of the restructuring of Ontario's electric system in April 1999. That was when the giant Ontario Hydro company separated into five companies.
One of the largest companies became generation company OPG, and the other became transmission and distribution company Hydro One.
Tom Linquist: Ontario's electricity industry has a rich history, along with a great deal of provincial pride, national pride and politics associated with the electric industry. Please give us a historical perspective.
Jeff Lyash: The origins of these five companies, including OPG and Hydro One, date back to the early twentieth century, with Sir Adam Beck. He was responsible for harnessing Niagara Falls to electrify Canada - Ontario specifically.