Hawaiian Electric Industries president and CEO Connie Lau to retire
Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc., the parent company of Hawaiian Electric and American Savings Bank, announced today that its president and CEO, Constance “Connie” Lau, is retiring at the end of the year after 15 years in the position.
Scott Seu, president and CEO of Hawaiian Electric since February 2020, will become HEI’s new chief executive, also effective Jan. 1.
He will also be appointed to the HEI board of directors and become the chairman of the American Savings Bank board of directors, replacing Lau on those boards in January.
Shelee Kimura, Hawaiian Electric’s senior vice president of customer service and public affairs, will succeed Seu as the utility’s president and CEO, becoming the first female chief executive in the company’s 130-year history. She joined Hawaiian Electric in 2014, and has held numerous senior leadership positions in the company.
Lau, 69, has been with HEI since 1984, and has held the top post there since 2006. She served as president and CEO of American Savings Bank from 2001 to 2008, and held key leadership positions at HEI and Hawaiian Electric before that.
Ann Teranishi became president and CEO of American Savings Bank earlier this year.
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The company said the new appointments are part of a multi-year succession plan by the boards of directors of HEI, Hawaiian Electric, and American Savings Bank.
“With years of experience in our companies and in the communities we serve, Scott and Shelee have helped lead Hawaiian Electric’s clean energy transformation and are committed to the decarbonization of our economy and the health of our communities,” Lau said in a news release. “They understand what’s at stake for Hawaii and how to work successfully with stakeholders and community partners. I am excited about the future of our companies under the leadership of Scott, Shelee and Ann. Together with Greg Hazelton and Kurt Murao, HEI’s chief financial officer and general counsel, respectively, they will carry forward our mission to be a catalyst for a better Hawaii.”
HEI said the new leadership team has more than 75 years of experience with its companies.