SAN DIEGO, Sept. 20, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- Sempra Energy and its California utilities, San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) and Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas), today announced several changes aimed at enhancing the experience of the management team and extending the company's external affairs outreach.
"We have an excellent management team and, with these new assignments, we will further strengthen our management's experience base and capabilities to grow our companies in the future," said Donald E. Felsinger, chairman and chief executive officer of Sempra Energy.
Edwin A. Guiles, 56, current chairman and chief executive officer of SDG&E and SoCalGas, will become executive vice president of corporate development for Sempra Energy, reporting to Felsinger. In this new position, Guiles will be responsible for identifying and developing new market opportunities for Sempra Energy and focusing on the long-term direction of the company. Guiles, who joined SDG&E in 1972, has held various positions of increasing responsibility in engineering, power plant management, natural gas operations, customer service, business planning and budgeting, energy procurement and generation. He will continue as a director of the utilities.
Debra L. Reed, 50, president and chief operating officer of SDG&E and SoCalGas, will become president and chief executive officer of the two utilities. Reed joined SoCalGas in 1978 as an energy systems engineer. From 1984 to 2000, Reed held several leadership positions with SoCalGas, including overseeing energy distribution services, human resources and administration, before becoming president of SDG&E in July 2000.
Michael R. Niggli, 56, currently president of Sempra Generation, will become chief operating officer of SDG&E and SoCalGas, reporting to Reed. Niggli began his career in 1971 at SDG&E, where his management responsibilities included electric and gas operations, fuels acquisition, project management and customer service. Prior to rejoining Sempra Energy in 2000, Niggli was chairman and chief executive officer of Nevada Power Co. and Sierra Pacific Resources and also held senior management positions with Entergy Corp.
Michael W. Allman, 46, currently chief financial officer for Sempra Global, the umbrella for Sempra Energy's competitive businesses, succeeds Niggli as president and chief executive officer of Sempra Generation. Previously, Allman was vice president of audit services for Sempra Energy and also oversaw technology and telecommunications ventures for the company. Prior to joining Sempra Energy in 1998, Allman was with the Los Angeles office of LEK/Alcar, a strategic and financial consulting services firm.
Dennis V. Arriola, 45, currently vice president of communications and investor relations for Sempra Energy, will become senior vice president and chief financial officer of SDG&E and SoCalGas, overseeing the utilities' accounting and finance functions, as well as information technology. Since joining the company in 1994, Arriola has served in a range of management positions, including vice president and treasurer for Pacific Enterprises, the holding company for SoCalGas, and regional president and general manager of South American operations for Sempra Energy.
Charles A. McMonagle, 56, currently vice president and treasurer for Sempra Energy, has been promoted to senior vice president and treasurer. McMonagle has been with Sempra Energy and its predecessor companies since 1982 and has served as vice president and treasurer of Sempra Energy since 1998.
Steven D. Davis, 50, currently senior vice president of external affairs and chief financial officer for SDG&E and SoCalGas, will become vice president of communications and community partnerships for Sempra Energy, reporting to Jessie J. Knight, Jr., executive vice president of external affairs. In his new role, Davis will oversee community relations, corporate branding, corporate contributions and corporate communications for the company.
Jeffrey Martin, 44, currently director of executive projects for Sempra Energy, succeeds Arriola as vice president of investor relations for the company. Prior to joining Sempra Energy in 2004, Martin held senior positions with TruePricing, Inc., Constellation NewEnergy and UniSource Energy, and was an attorney in the Phoenix-based law firm of Snell & Wilmer.
Thomas S. Sayles, 55, currently vice president of governmental and community affairs for Sempra Energy, will become vice president of federal and state affairs, reporting to Knight. Sayles has served in a range of management roles with Sempra Energy and its predecessor companies since 1994.
Erbin B. Keith, 45, currently vice president of regulatory affairs for Sempra Global, will become vice president of regulatory affairs and market planning for Sempra Energy, reporting to Knight. In his new role, Keith will manage domestic regulatory affairs and new markets planning. He joined the company in 1998 and has served in a variety of management positions, including overseeing company's retail energy operations.
George Michael Morgan, 53, currently vice president of special projects for Sempra LNG, will become vice president of international affairs, reporting to Knight. He will be responsible for managing the company's external affairs outside the United States. Morgan joined Sempra Energy in 2000, prior to which he was vice president of Latin America for Unocal Corp. He also has held management and consulting roles with Tenneco, Inc., and Royal Dutch Shell.
Sempra Energy, based in San Diego, is a Fortune 500 energy services holding company with 2005 revenues of $11.7 billion. The Sempra Energy companies' 14,000 employees serve more than 29 million consumers in the United States, Europe, Canada, Mexico, South America and Asia.
This press release contains statements that are not historical fact and constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When the company uses words like "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "estimates," "may," "would," "should" or similar expressions, or when the company discusses its strategy or plans, the company is making forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance. They involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Future results may differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon various assumptions involving judgments with respect to the future and other risks, including, among others: local, regional, national and international economic, competitive, political, legislative and regulatory conditions and developments; actions by the California Public Utilities Commission, the California State Legislature, the California Department of Water Resources, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and other regulatory bodies in the United States and other countries; capital markets conditions, inflation rates, interest rates and exchange rates; energy and trading markets, including the timing and extent of changes in commodity prices; the availability of natural gas; weather conditions and conservation efforts; war and terrorist attacks; business, regulatory, environmental, and legal decisions and requirements; the status of deregulation of retail natural gas and electricity delivery; the timing and success of business development efforts; the resolution of litigation; and other uncertainties, all of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond the control of the company. These risks and uncertainties are further discussed in the company's reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission that are available through the EDGAR system without charge at its Web site, www.sec.gov and on the company's Web site, www.sempra.com.
Sempra LNG and Sempra Pipelines & Storage are not the same companies as the utilities, SDG&E or SoCalGas, and are not regulated by the California Public Utilities Commission. Sempra Energy Trading, doing business as Sempra Commodities, and Sempra Generation are not the same companies as the utilities, SDG&E or SoCalGas, and the California Public Utilities Commission does not regulate the terms of their products and services.