Looking Forward
Patti Poppe is the CEO of CMS Energy.
Recently, Navigant's Jan Vrins and PUF's Steve Mitnick talked with seven inspiring utility CEOs — all women — about their experience as leaders, their advice to today's rising stars (particularly those that are young women), and their company's challenges as they transform their organizations to navigate the energy transition, address climate change, and redefine our industry.
PUF: You're a female CEO and you're relatively new in the position, less than three years. What has been your experience?
Patti Poppe: First I am not alone. The utility industry certainly punches above our fighting weight in percent of woman CEOs in the industry. The largest representation of Fortune 500 Female CEOs comes out of the utility industry.
My board is made up of forty-five percent women and my officer team is about thirty-four percent women. It's not surprising at CMS Energy that a woman was named CEO because we have a lot of diversity in all of our ranks and I feel good about that.
PUF: When you started, you went everywhere to talk to everyone. Did that make a difference in your career?