Entergy Arkansas CEO to retire next year; successor named

Entergy Arkansas' Hugh McDonald during a Public Service Commission hearing in Little Rock in 2010.
Entergy Arkansas' Hugh McDonald during a Public Service Commission hearing in Little Rock in 2010.

Entergy Arkansas president and CEO Hugh McDonald will retire next year and will be succeeded by the vice president of transmission for Entergy Services Inc., the utility announced in a news release Monday.

McDonald, who has led Entergy Arkansas for 15 years, will retire in the first half of 2016. He will be replaced by Rick Riley, who on June 14 will begin a new role as vice president of customer service and operations for Entergy Arkansas before he takes over as CEO and president next year.

Theo Bunting, group president for Entergy's utility operations, called McDonald's contributions to the company "immeasurable."

“At every step of his career, Hugh’s leadership and vision have been instrumental in making the right decisions on so many critical issues," Bunting said in a statement. "He has been a passionate voice for our Arkansas customers and our employees, and he always acted with integrity, respect and compassion.”

Entergy chairman and CEO Leo Denault said Riley "embraces our vision for Arkansas' growth." The company expects to invest $2.4 billion on infrastructure improvements between 2014 and 2017, the release noted.

“[Riley's] three decades of experience in a wide array of roles provide him with an excellent foundation to meet the needs of Entergy Arkansas’ stakeholders," Denault said in the statement. "Additionally, the plan we have in place to have Rick serve with Hugh over the upcoming months will ensure a smooth transition at a very important time for Entergy Arkansas.”

Jim Schott, currently vice president of supply optimization for Entergy Services Inc., will succeed Riley as vice president of transmission.

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