PG&E Announces New IT Officers

PG&E Announces New IT Officers

Release Date: August 06, 2015
Contact: PG&E External Communications (415) 973-5930

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) today announced the appointments of Bernard Cowens as vice president and Chief Information Security Officer and Kathleen Kay as vice president, Business Technology.

Cowens and Kay, who were both elected by the Board of Directors as officers of the utility, will report to Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer Karen Austin.

"Our ability to effectively manage and protect information is vitally important and challenging. We are very pleased to welcome Bernie and Kathy, who both have exceptionally strong backgrounds, to the PG&E team," said PG&E Corporation Chairman and CEO Tony Earley.

Cowens joins PG&E, effective Aug. 24, from his role as Chief Information Security Officer at First American Financial Corporation. Cowens has extensive experience in information technology and cyber and physical security and previously held senior and executive-level roles in the private sector and the military.

Cowens served in the military from 1980 to 2000, completing his service as Chief Technology Officer and Chief Security Officer for the Defense Intelligence Agency in Los Angeles. Thereafter, he held executive-level roles in information technology with SafeNet Inc., where he was Chief Information Officer; and PricewaterHouseCoopers LLP, where he was director of risk and security advisory services. He subsequently served in senior information security roles for Experian and the Automobile Club of Southern California before joining First American Financial Corporation.

He holds a bachelor's degree in information systems management from the University of Maryland and a master's degree in management information systems from Bowie State University.

Kay, in her new role at PG&E, effective Sept. 1, will be responsible for business technology delivery, primarily focused on PG&E’s strategic solutions such as mobile, data analytics and customer applications.

Kay had a career spanning more than two decades at General Motors. She began as an associate programmer and systems analyst and worked in progressively more responsible roles, concluding with her role as director of application development and support for OnStar.

She served as senior vice president of business technology services for Comerica Bank in Michigan from 2007 to 2012. Kay left Comerica to serve as senior vice president of application services for SunTrust Bank in Atlanta, where she also served as the executive chair for diversity.

Kay holds a bachelor's degree in computer science from Wayne State University and a master's degree in engineering science from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

About PG&E

Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation(NYSE:PCG), is one of the largest combined natural gas and electric utilities in the United States. Based in San Francisco, with more than 20,000 employees, the company delivers some of the nation's cleanest energy to nearly 16 million people in Northern and Central California. For more information, visit www.pge.com/ and www.pge.com/en/about/newsroom/index.page.