A field of operating solar panels located in Prince Edward County, Ont., one of 13 solar projects owned and operated by Northland Power Inc.JOHNNY C.Y. LAM/The Globe and Mail
Northland Power Inc. NPI-T has tapped energy heavy hitter Christine Healy, a former executive at French oil major TotalEnergies, to head up the Toronto-based utility come February.
Ms. Healy will join Northland from a brief stint at AtkinsRéalis, where she was president of Asia, the Middle East and Australia. Prior to that, she held senior executive roles at TotalEnergies for more than five years, including senior vice-president of carbon neutrality and Continental Europe. She also served as president and chief executive officer of Total E&P Canada.
During her tenure at TotalEnergies, Ms. Healy spearheaded various emissions-reduction initiatives, including carbon capture projects. And at Total E&P Canada, she led the multibillion-dollar energy business to record profitability.
Ms. Healy said in an e-mail that her work at TotalEnergies and AtkinsRéalis has given her a strong insight into what it takes to tackle the challenge of energy transition around the world.
“The world needs affordable, reliable, clean energy, and Northland is well-positioned to deliver on that challenge. I am a proud Canadian, and it’s very meaningful to me to be able to deliver solutions globally,” she said.
She added that she is eager to build on Northland’s foundation of being a leader in sustainable energy solutions.
Analyst reaction to Ms. Healy’s appointment was largely positive.
Sean Steuart, a managing director at TD Securities, said in a research note Monday he expects investors will be pleased with the announcement, given Ms. Healy’s extensive global experience in energy and energy transition.
Still, Mr. Steuart added that it took more than eight months to appoint a successor to the previous Northland CEO, Mike Crawley, which resulted in “persistent valuation pressure” on the company’s share price.
Northland’s share price on the Toronto Stock Exchange was just under $25 at the start of the year. In the wake of Monday’s announcement, it hovered around $20.
Founded in 1987, Northland Power develops, builds, owns and operates clean power infrastructure assets.
A global leader in offshore wind, it owns and manages a diversified generation mix including onshore renewables and natural gas energy.
In all, the company has a stake in about 3.2 gigawatts of operating capacity. It also has a significant number of projects under construction, totalling around 12 GW of potential capacity.
That includes offshore wind farms in Europe and Asia, and solar and battery energy storage projects in Canada.
John Brace, the company’s board chair and interim CEO, said in a statement that Ms. Healy’s leadership will be key to bringing projects to commercial operation.
“After completing a comprehensive global search, we are confident that Christine’s extensive leadership experience, proven track record in creating value and her deep understanding of the energy sector will bring invaluable expertise to lead Northland’s future,” Mr. Brace said.
Ms. Healy is a board member at Canadian Natural Resources Ltd., one of Canada’s largest oil and gas producers.
She has managed teams across more than 20 countries and will be based at Northland’s headquarters in Toronto.