PERSONNEL MOVES AND PROMOTIONS: Energy merchants name new CFOs

Aug. 5, 2002
Thomas J. Webb has been appointed executive vice-president and chief financial officer of CMS Energy Corp., effective Aug. 5. Webb succeeds Alan M. Wright, who will leave the Dearborn, Mich.-based company Aug. 16 to join another firm outside the energy industry.

Thomas J. Webb has been appointed executive vice-president and chief financial officer of CMS Energy Corp., effective Aug. 5. Webb succeeds Alan M. Wright, who will leave the Dearborn, Mich.-based company Aug. 16 to join another firm outside the energy industry.

Most recently, Webb served as executive vice-president and CFO of Battle Creek, Mich.-based Kellogg Co. He also served as vice-president and CFO of Visteon Corp., Dearborn, during 1996-99. He started his career at Ford Motor Co. in 1977.

Wright joined CMS Energy subsidiary Consumers Energy as treasurer and vice-president, finance, in May 1991. He became senior vice-president and chief financial officer of CMS Energy and Consumers Energy in December 1991 and then was named executive vice-president, CFO, and chief administrative officer in December 2000.

Mark M. Jacobs has been named executive vice-president and CFO of Reliant Energy Inc. and Reliant Resources Inc., effective July 29. Last month, Reliant Energy received permission from the US Securities and Exchange Commission to create a new holding company structure-under the name CenterPoint Energy-and permission for Reliant Resources to complete its planned spin-off of Reliant Energy. Once Reliant Resources is spun off, Jacobs will stand down from his positions with the parent firm.

Jacobs succeeds Stephen W. Naeve, who will continue in his role as vice-chairman of Reliant Energy until the completion of the spin-off (OGJ Online, May 22, 2002).

Jacobs comes to Reliant after working in the energy and power industry as a managing director of Goldman Sachs & Co.

Other moves

Richard H. Matzke has been appointed to serve as special advisor for Houston-based Chrome Energy Corp., an oil and gas exploration company focused on the Gulf of Guinea, off West Africa. Earlier this year, Matzke retired from his position as vice-chairman of ChevronTexaco Corp. after more than 40 years of service. Recently, he was elected to several US and international companies' boards, including Russia's OAO Lukoil.

Matzke joined ChevronTexaco predecessor Chevron Corp. in 1961 as a geologist. In 1997, he was elected director of Chevron and became the board's vice-chairman in January 2000.