PPL Corporation (PPL), a US based energy and utility company, has appointed James E. Schinski as its vice president and chief information officer (CIO). Schinski will replace Edward T. Novak, who is retiring after five years in the vice president and CIO role at PPL. Schinski, currently chief information officer and vice president of human resources for Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator, will take over his new role at PPL on March 30, 2009.
“Ed Novak provided outstanding leadership in our Information Services organization, enhancing the group’s ability to meet the ever-evolving needs of a company like PPL, which has large regulated electricity delivery operations as well as a very active competitive generation and marketing group,” said Paul A. Farr, PPL executive vice president and chief financial officer. “We thank Ed for his service and wish him well in what we’re sure will be a very active retirement.”
Farr said that Schinski comes to PPL with a wealth of experience in both information technologies and the electricity business. Schinski, has served in his current position at the Midwest ISO for nearly five years, with responsibility for the design, implementation, operation and maintenance of IT systems and applications that are used to operate one of the nation’s largest electricity markets.
“Jim’s breadth of experience and his proven record of customer service and cost-effective IT management make him an excellent addition to the PPL senior management team,” said Farr.
Before accepting a permanent position with the Midwest ISO, Schinski served as a consultant to the organization, making recommendations on the acquisition of new hardware and software platforms. Prior to his tenure at the Midwest ISO, he held a variety of positions at Lockheed Martin Corporation, advancing to chief information officer for Management & Data Systems in the Systems Integration group, which is located in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.
A Pennsylvania native, Schinski began his career at the former Philadelphia Electric Co. He also worked for General Electric and Reliance Insurance before moving to Lockheed Martin.
Schinski holds a degree in electrical engineering from Lehigh University.
Novak, retires after 33 years of IT experience. He came to PPL from Accenture consulting, where he was the lead partner for Strategic Information Technology Effectiveness in the firm’s products and government industry sectors.
Novak has a Master of Business Administration degree from Harvard Business School and a bachelor’s degree from Bucknell university.