NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Broadscale Group, a new model of investment firm working with leading energy corporations to commercialize the industry’s most promising innovations, today announced that James E. Rogers, the former chairman, president, and CEO of Duke Energy, has become a Senior Advisor to the firm.
Rogers served as a CEO in the electricity and natural gas industry for more than 25 years, one of the longest tenures of any leader in the industry. Over that period, he delivered an average total shareholder return of more than 12 percent per year by focusing on sustainable growth, stakeholder engagement, and finding business solutions to environmental challenges.
He has served more than 50 cumulative years on the boards of directors of eight Fortune 500 companies and is currently a director of Cigna Corp. and Applied Materials Inc.
During his tenure as CEO of Duke Energy, Rogers oversaw the acquisition in 2012 of Progress Energy, making Duke the largest utility holding company in the United States. Rogers became CEO of Duke following the merger between Duke and Cinergy in 2006. Before the merger, he served as Cinergy’s chairman and CEO. Prior to the formation of Cinergy, he joined PSI Energy in 1988 as the company’s chairman, president and CEO.
“We are honored and excited to have Jim Rogers join us,” said Andrew L. Shapiro, Broadscale’s founder. “No other industry leader has been more thoughtful, outspoken, and influential regarding the changes that are needed to take our energy system into the 21st century. Having known and worked with Jim for a decade, I also know how passionate he is about making that change a reality.”
“I am delighted to be working with Broadscale on its mission of scaling up the many emerging technologies that will ultimately accelerate the transformation of the power sector. This will create value for customers and investors around the world,” said Rogers.
At Broadscale, Rogers will focus on engagement with corporate and investor partners, working with growth companies, and assisting with overall firm strategy.
In 2013, the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) awarded Rogers its Distinguished Leadership Award and the Alliance to Save Energy honored Rogers with its Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2009, Newsweek named him one of "The 50 Most Powerful People in the World."
Rogers was chairman of EEI when it changed its position to support federal climate change legislation in 2007. He was also the founding chairman of the Institute for Electric Efficiency, former chair of the Global Sustainable Electricity Partnership, a nonprofit organization composed of the world’s leading electricity utilities, and former vice chairman of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.
Earlier in his career, Rogers served as deputy general counsel for litigation and enforcement for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC); executive vice president of interstate pipelines for the Enron Gas Pipeline Group; and as a partner in the Washington, D.C., law office of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld.
Rogers is Vice Chair of the board of The Nature Conservancy and also serves on the boards of the Aspen Institute, Brookings Institute, and Duke University's Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions. He is a lifetime member of the Council on Foreign Relations. In September 2011, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon named him to a blue ribbon commission of business and NGO leaders known as the High-Level Group on Sustainable Energy for All.
Rogers attended Emory University and earned Bachelor of Business Administration and Juris Doctor degrees from the University of Kentucky.
About Broadscale Group
Founded in 2012, Broadscale Group (www.broadscale.com) is a new model of investment firm dedicated to scaling up breakthrough solutions for a changing world. Broadscale works with a network of leading corporations – including Duke Energy, GE, Johnson Controls, and National Grid – to invest in and commercialize the most promising, market-ready solutions. The firm is committed to combining the drive, creativity and technical advances of the best entrepreneurs with the market knowledge and reach of established industry leaders.
