Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. (BGE) is making a significant change in leadership amidst an ongoing uproar over elevated energy costs and concerns about safety protocols within the utility. Effective May 1, Carim Khouzami will step down as CEO of BGE to assume a new role within the Exelon family, opening the door for Pepco Holdings executive Tamla Olivier to take the helm.
Olivier, who previously served as BGE’s senior vice president of customer operations and chief customer officer before moving to Pepco Holdings, returns to her old stomping grounds, bringing with her experience from steering senior-level operations at another Exelon subsidiary. "It is an honor to return to a company and community that taught me so much about how to understand and meet the diverse needs of those customers we have the privilege to serve,” Olivier said, as reported by Fox Baltimore. Looking forward to her new role, she added, "I’m excited to partner with BGE’s dedicated team to ensure our customers continue to count on us as one of the most reliable and responsive utilities in the country."
The ongoing scrutiny directed at BGE has amplified after a Maryland Public Service Commission investigation discovered that a gas inspector at BGE had falsified reports. With the shadow of potential safety implications looming over the utility, Baltimore City Council President Zeke Cohen indicated plans for a council hearing to delve into these concerns. This was just a day before the announcement of the executive shuffle. The Baltimore Sun has heretofore detailed that the hearing will address the utility’s service costs.
On the corporate ladder, Khouzami, whose tenure as CEO began in December 2019, will transition to Exelon as executive vice president of transmission and development, according to a Baltimore Sun article. Having to manage the region's largest gas and electric delivery company, serving over 1.3 million electric customers and 700,000 gas customers, Khouzami's move to Exelon is captured at a moment when BGE's customer relations are at a critical juncture.
In light of the impending transition, Mike Innocenzo, Exelon’s executive vice president and chief operating officer, expressed confidence in Olivier’s capabilities, saying, “As we welcome Carim to a role looking across Exelon’s regions to strengthen our transmission and supply operations, we can expect Tamla to be a powerful force for the company and the communities BGE serves in central Maryland,” as published by The Baltimore Banner.
