Current VP of Transmission Project Management and Construction brings nearly 40 years of company experience in replacing outgoing NH President Doug Foley
MANCHESTER, N.H. (June 25, 2024) – Following the recent announcement that current President of New Hampshire Operations Doug Foley will become President of Massachusetts Electric Operations, Eversource is pleased to announce that Bob Coates, current Vice President of Transmission Project Management and Construction, will become the next leader of New Hampshire Operations effective July 7, 2024.
A respected veteran of the company and industry, Coates has more than 36 years of experience and increasing responsibilities at Eversource and its predecessor companies, holding a variety of leadership positions across the Safety and Electric Operations organizations, as well as extensive experience in storm response. A resident of the Granite State living in central New Hampshire for the last several years, Coates looks forward to his new role serving and engaging with communities across the state.
“I am deeply honored to have the opportunity to lead Eversource’s New Hampshire operations, and I’m excited to work with this talented team every day on our commitment to provide safe and reliable service to our customers while being responsible environmental stewards,” said Coates. “As we focus on that essential goal, I’m also looking forward to leading our support for incredible community organizations like Easterseals and Special Olympics, as well as collaborating with our devoted employees and stakeholders across the state. Together, we can power what’s possible for New Hampshire and advance a sustainable future that everyone can benefit from.”
“Bob is a dedicated leader who brings decades of experience and expertise to our highly skilled New Hampshire team,” said Eversource Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Paul Chodak. “His strong background in safety and storm response will be invaluable in guiding our daily mission of providing exceptional service to our customers in the Granite State, and we are fortunate to have someone of Bob’s caliber at the helm.”
In his current role, Coates is responsible for leading the execution of the entire transmission line and substation capital portfolio across the Eversource electric system. Prior to this position, Coates was the Vice President of Connecticut Stations, Field Engineering and Communication, responsible for the safe and reliable operations, maintenance, construction, testing and commissioning for all substations in that state. In addition, Coates was the past Vice President of Safety, leading and building on the culture of safety and health across the corporation, and served three years as the Vice President of Electric Operations for Eversource in Western Massachusetts.
Coates holds a master’s degree in Business Administration from American International College in Massachusetts. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Occupational Safety and Health Administration from the University of New Haven in Connecticut.
During his tenure, Coates has been involved in a variety of community and industry activities including the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), Electric T&D OSHA Partnership, volunteer fire service and charitable boards. He is also a founding member of the Eversource Veterans Association board of directors and an executive sponsor of the company’s Veterans Business Resource Group.
Foley has worked for Eversource for 35 years and has held various leadership positions in the energy company’s Operations organization, becoming President of New Hampshire Operations in 2021. Under his leadership, Foley has overseen day-to-day statewide operation of the electric system as well as many storm restoration efforts – including serving as the incident commander for three of the top-10 most impactful storms in terms of total customer outages in Eversource NH’s history, which took place successively from December 2022-March 2023. Foley is a founding member of the Eversource Veterans Association, and he has also been active in community organizations such as Special Olympics New Hampshire, the Business and Industry Association of New Hampshire, Granite United Way and the Boy Scouts of America, Mayflower Council.
Eversource (NYSE: ES), celebrated as a national leader for its corporate citizenship, is among the top energy companies in Newsweek’s list of America’s Most Responsible Companies for 2024 and recognized as a Five-Year Champion, appearing in every edition of the list. Eversource is New Hampshire’s largest electric utility, serving nearly 535,000 homes and businesses in 211 cities and towns, and also supplies water to approximately 10,300 homes and businesses in eight communities. Eversource is proud to be recognized as the #1 contributor to United Way in New Hampshire. Eversource harnesses the commitment of approximately 9,900 employees across three states to build a single, united company around the mission of safely delivering reliable energy and water with superior customer service. The #1 energy efficiency provider in the nation, the company is empowering a clean energy future in the Northeast, with nationally recognized energy efficiency solutions and successful programs to integrate new clean energy resources like a first-in-the-nation networked geothermal pilot project, solar, offshore wind, electric vehicles and battery storage, into the electric system. For more information, please visit eversource.com, and follow us on X, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. For more information on our water services, visit aquarionwater.com.
CONTACT:
William Hinkle
603-634-2228
william.hinkle@eversource.com
