ST. LOUIS, Feb. 18, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Ameren
Corporation (NYSE: AEE) announced today that, in connection with
the planned retirement of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Thomas R. Voss, its Board of
Directors decided that, effective immediately, Warner L. Baxter will succeed Voss as President
of Ameren and that Baxter has been elected to Ameren's Board of
Directors. Ameren also announced that Baxter will become CEO
on April 24, 2014, at which time Voss
will become Executive Chairman. Voss will retire from Ameren
and the Board of Directors on July 1,
2014, and Baxter is expected to succeed him as Chairman of
the Board on that date. Since 2009, Baxter has served as the
President and CEO of Ameren Missouri and will remain so until a
successor is named.
(Photo:
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(Photo:
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140218/CG66810-b)
From 2003 to 2009, Baxter was Executive Vice President and Chief
Financial Officer of Ameren, where he led the finance, strategic
planning and business risk management functions. From 2007 to
2009, he was also President and CEO of Ameren Services
Company. Baxter joined Ameren in August 1995 as Assistant Controller. He has also
served as Senior Vice President, Finance and as Vice President and
Controller.
"The actions announced today represent the culmination of the
Board's lengthy succession planning process. Warner has significant
financial and operating experience as Ameren's former CFO and as
the current CEO of Ameren Missouri. He is uniquely qualified
to lead Ameren Corporation," said Lead Director, Walter Galvin. Galvin added, "Tom Voss has dedicated himself to serving
shareholders, customers and a generation of Ameren employees since
1969. During his five years as CEO, he, and his team,
developed a clear vision and strategy for the future. The board
thanks Tom for his dedication and commitment to
excellence."
"Ameren's success has been a direct result of the hard work and
winning attitude of all our employees," said Ameren Chairman and
CEO, Tom Voss. "I'm honored to have
had the opportunity to lead this great company." Voss went on to
comment that Baxter is focused on providing value for both
shareholders and customers. "I'm confident Warner has the talent
and tenacity to lead our team in the successful execution of
Ameren's strategy," said Voss.
Baxter noted that he appreciates the trust that the Board has
vested in him. "I'm humbled and excited about the opportunity
to lead Ameren to the next level of performance. It is an
honor to follow in the footsteps of such a great leader of our
company and our community, and it is indeed a great privilege to
lead our more than 8,000 dedicated co-workers," Baxter said.
"Looking ahead, our entire Ameren team will continue to be focused
relentlessly on our mission to power the quality of life in the
communities that we serve. We will do this by executing our
well-defined strategy. I am confident that the execution of
this strategy will bring superior long-term value to our customers
and superior returns for our shareholders."
About Ameren
St. Louis-based Ameren
Corporation powers the quality of life for 2.4 million electric
customers and more than 900,000 natural gas customers in a
64,000-square-mile area through its Ameren Missouri and Ameren
Illinois rate-regulated utility subsidiaries. Ameren Illinois
provides electric and natural gas delivery service while Ameren
Missouri provides vertically integrated electric service, with
generating capacity of 10,300 megawatts, and natural gas delivery
service. Ameren Transmission of Illinois develops regional electric
transmission projects. Follow the company on Twitter @AmerenCorp.
For more information, visit Ameren.com.
Forward-looking Statements: This press
release contains certain forward-looking statements that are
subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results
to differ materially. For these statements, Ameren claims the
protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements
contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995. Ameren strongly recommends that you become familiar
with the specific risks and uncertainties outlined under the Risk
Factors section in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year
ended December 31, 2012 and in our
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended
March 31, 2013.
Thomas R. Voss, 66
RETIRING AS CHAIRMAN AND CEO, AMEREN CORP.
Thomas R. Voss was elected to the
position of chairman of the board of directors of Ameren
Corporation on April 27, 2010.
He was elected president and CEO of Ameren in May 2009 – titles he retained with his promotion
to the position of board chairman. Voss served as executive vice
president and chief operating officer of Ameren from 2004 to
2009. In December 2006, he was
elected to the additional position of president and CEO of
AmerenUE, Ameren's Missouri
rate-regulated operations.
Prior to this appointment, he held the title of senior vice
president, Generation, and president, AmerenEnergy and AmerenEnergy
Resources. In this position, he was responsible for
generation, fuels and services and related trading and marketing
operations, including AmerenEnergy Inc., AmerenEnergy Generating,
AmerenEnergy Resources Business Service, AmerenEnergy Fuels and
Services, AmerenUE Power Operations and AmerenEnergy Marketing.
Previously, he served as senior vice president for Energy
Delivery/Customer Services. In this position, Voss was
responsible for the design, construction, operation and maintenance
of all gas and electric delivery systems and also for all customer
care activities for Ameren's operating utility companies –
AmerenUE, AmerenCIPS and AmerenCILCO.
Voss began his career with Union Electric (now doing business as
Ameren Missouri) in 1969 as a student engineer after earning a
bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Missouri-Rolla. After four
years in the U.S. Air Force, he returned to Union Electric as an
assistant engineer. From 1975-1987, he held a series of
successively higher positions – moving from engineer to staff
engineer, superintendent and district manager. In 1988, he
became manager of Distribution Operating. He was named vice
president, Region Operations for AmerenCIPS in July 1998.
Voss is also a graduate of the University
of Michigan's Public Utility Executive Program and the
Westinghouse Advanced Power Systems School in Pittsburgh. In
addition, in June 2005, he completed
the Reactor Technology Course for Utility Executives – an intensive
three-week program on nuclear technology offered through the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
in Cambridge, MA, and the National
Academy for Nuclear Training. Voss is a registered
professional engineer in Missouri
and Illinois.
Voss serves on several St.
Louis area civic and arts organizations, including Civic
Progress, Dance St. Louis (Chairman Emeritus), The MUNY, and the
St. Louis Regional Chamber. Voss also serves on several
national industry boards including Edison Electric Institute
(executive committee) and is the past president of the Association
of Edison Illuminating Companies. In 2011, Voss was selected by the
National Society of Professional Engineers for national recognition
as the recipient of PEI's Distinguished Service Award.
Voss has been a champion of safety and diversity both within and
outside Ameren Corporation.
A native of St. Louis and a
graduate of St. Louis University High
School, Voss and his wife of 44 years, Carol, have three children
and four grandchildren.
Warner L. Baxter,
52
NAMED PRESIDENT AMEREN CORPORATION AND ELECTED
DIRECTOR – WILL BECOME CEO APRIL
24TH
Warner Baxter became President
and CEO of Ameren Missouri on May 1, 2009. Ameren Missouri is
the largest energy provider in the State
of Missouri, serving more than 1.2 million electric and gas
customers with revenues in excess of $3
billion. Prior to this role, Mr. Baxter was Executive
Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Ameren Corporation,
where he led the finance, strategic planning and business risk
management functions of the entire enterprise beginning in
2003. In 2007, Mr. Baxter assumed the additional duties of
President and CEO of Ameren Services.
Mr. Baxter joined Union Electric in August 1995 as Assistant Controller. He was
named Controller of Union Electric Company in 1996. Following the
1997 merger of Union Electric and CIPSCO Incorporated, he served as
Vice President and Controller of Ameren Corporation and Ameren
Services. In 2001, Mr. Baxter was named Senior Vice President,
Finance.
Before joining Ameren, Mr. Baxter served as senior manager in
PricewaterhouseCooper's LLP National Office in New York City from 1993 to 1995. He worked in
the Accounting and SEC Services Department where he provided
consulting services and served as one of the firm's liaisons with
the major accounting standard setting bodies in the U.S. From
1983 to 1993, Mr. Baxter worked in the Accounting and Auditing
Services Department of the firm's St. Louis office, where he
provided auditing and consulting services to clients in a variety
of industries.
Mr. Baxter earned a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting
from the University of Missouri–St. Louis and passed the
Certified Public Accountant examination. He is a member of
the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the
Missouri Society of Certified Public Accountants. In
addition, Mr. Baxter has made meaningful and long-lasting
contributions to higher education through his involvement at the
University of Missouri and the
University of Missouri–St. Louis. He is a member of the
University of Missouri–St. Louis Chancellors Council (and past
president) and he serves on the University of
Missouri 100 Board.
Today, Mr. Baxter serves on the board of UMB Financial
Corporation, a public company. He also serves on the boards of the
Nuclear Energy Institute, the National Academy for Nuclear Training
Accrediting Board, Barnes-Jewish Hospital, and Missouri Energy
Development Association (MEDA). He is also actively involved
with several charitable organizations, including Chair of the
American Cancer Society's St. Louis Chapter of CEOs Against Cancer
of Missouri.
In addition, Mr. Baxter has served the past several years as
executive leader of Ameren's Diversity Council and Ameren's
Wellness initiatives. He is native of St. Louis. Warner and
his wife Cindy have four children.
SOURCE Ameren Corporation