Steve Malnight was abruptly replaced from the helm of Duquesne Light Co. on Monday, capping less than two years as CEO of the Downtown-based electric utility.
The firm’s board of directors appointed Duquesne Light’s CFO Mark Kaplan as interim president and CEO. Mr. Kaplan has been with the company for 16 years and is also a senior vice president there. “We know Duquesne Light is in good hands as it continues its transformation into a digital utility of the future,” said Joe Guyaux, chairman of the board.
The company declined to discuss the reason for the sudden change in leadership and offered no further details in its statement. Duquesne Light’s employees, which number above 1,700, also learned of the development on Monday.
Mr. Malnight came to Duquesne Light in April 2019 from the California utility Pacific Gas and Electric.
During his time there, Mr. Malnight was an avid networker, an evangelist of electric transportation and had made inroads in bringing more diversity to the management of the company, including hiring the firm’s first chief diversity officer a few months after his own arrival.
Anya Litvak: alitvak@post-gazette.com
First Published: January 12, 2021, 12:05 a.m.