Categorized | Business

Oshima named HEI president / CEO

MEDIA RELEASE

Hawaiian Electric Company, a subsidiary of Hawaiian Electric Industries, announces Alan Oshima has been named president and chief executive officer of Hawaiian Electric Company, effective Oct. 1, 2014.

A respected business leader with almost 40 years of energy, regulated utility, legal and community relations experience in Hawaii, Oshima will succeed Dick Rosenblum, who has served in the position since 2009.

“Alan brings extensive energy industry experience, a real passion for moving Hawaii to a clean energy future, and a proven ability to bring people together to work collaboratively for needed change. We need to move away from a traditional utility model to become a responsive, affordable energy services provider for our customers, and I’m confident Alan is the right leader to guide our utility through this transformation,” said Connie Lau, chairman of the board for Hawaiian Electric Company and president and chief executive officer of its parent company, HEI.

“I’m honored to lead Hawaiian Electric at such a critical time,” said Oshima. “We have a dedicated team of employees who care deeply about doing the right thing for our customers and for Hawaii. We know the energy environment is changing, and we have to adapt. We need to be more responsive, working collaboratively with our customers and the greater community. I’m confident that together we can achieve the clean energy future we all want for Hawaii.”

The Hawaiian Electric Companies recently proposed major plans for Hawaii’s energy future that are designed to lower electric bills, give customers more service options, and nearly triple the amount of distributed solar, while achieving the highest level of renewable energy in the nation by 2030.

“We’re grateful to Dick for his guidance in developing these visionary plans and laying a great foundation. We’re now ready to take the next step and make these goals a reality,” said Lau.

“Alan brings a valuable combination of energy expertise and a genuine commitment to community stewardship,” said Hawaiian Electric board member Timothy Johns. “In the many years I’ve had the privilege of working with Alan – both in business and in the community – I’ve seen him overcome even the toughest challenges with strong leadership and aloha.”

Oshima has worked with Hawaiian Electric since 2008 when he joined Hawaiian Electric’s board of directors.

In 2011, he left the board to join parent company, HEI, as executive vice president for corporate and community advancement and president of the HEI Charitable Foundation.

In May 2014, he joined Hawaiian Electric’s executive team full time.

Oshima also served as senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary of Hawaiian Telcom from 2005 to 2008 and later as a senior adviser and director helping the company successfully emerge from reorganization in 2010.

Oshima was founding partner of the law firm, Oshima Chun Fong & Chun. Prior to that, he practiced law with Carlsmith Ball.

With his significant experience with electric, telecommunications and transportation companies, as well as water and sewer resources in Hawaii, Oshima has been recognized multiple times as one of “America’s Best Lawyers” in the field of public utilities.

Oshima chairs Hawaii 3Rs, a nonprofit organization that facilitates public-private partnerships to repair, restore and remodel Hawaii’s public schools.

He is on the board of advisors of The Learning Coalition and serves as a director of the Hawaii Institute of Public Affairs where he has helped lead an initiative to form a public school land trust to rebuild and upgrade school facilities across the state.

Oshima serves as one of the six Hawaii Commissioners on the Education Commission of the States.

He is also a longtime volunteer and former chairman of the board of the YMCA of Honolulu.

Oshima has also been a strong champion of innovative energy programs, including Energy Excelerator, a resource provider for clean energy startups, and KUPU, an environmental stewardship program for young adults.

A Farrington High School graduate, Oshima graduated from Northwestern University and received a law degree from University of California, Hastings College of the Law.

He also served with the U.S. Navy.

HEI supplies power to approximately 450,000 customers or 95 percent of Hawaii’s population through its electric utilities, Hawaiian Electric, Hawaii Electric Light and Maui Electric and provides a wide array of banking and other financial services to consumers and businesses through American Savings Bank, F.S.B. (American), one of Hawaii’s largest financial institutions.

— Find out more:
www.hei.com

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