Grid operator PJM Interconnection has appointed Manu Asthana president and CEO, effective Jan. 1, 2020.
Asthana has been working in the energy industry for more than 20 years, building experience in areas including power generation operations, optimization and dispatch, competitive retail electricity, electricity and natural gas trading, and risk management.
Most recently, Asthana served as president of Direct Energy Home in North America, where he led a team of over 2,600 to combine the company’s retail electricity and home-services businesses, serving over 3.4 million customers. He previously led power generation operations at Direct Energy, energy trading at both Direct Energy and at the TXU group of companies, as well as generation optimization and dispatch at TXU. In addition, Asthana also served as chief risk officer of TXU Corp., where he helped senior management and the board quantify and manage risk in TXU’s businesses.
“The electric industry is rapidly changing, and PJM needs to continue to evolve,” says Dr. Ake Almgren, chairman of PJM’s board of managers. “Manu comes to PJM with a wealth of experience from the electricity value chain, and we are confident that he will bring new and important perspectives to the organization.”
