Ameren's Board of Directors Announces Changes
12 Febrero 2010 - 12:42PM
PR Newswire (US)
Three Directors to Complete Service at Annual Meeting and One New
Director Nominated ST. LOUIS, Feb. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The
Board of Directors of Ameren Corporation announced today that
Ameren Executive Chairman Gary L. Rainwater, 63, plans to retire
from Ameren at the annual shareholders meeting scheduled for April
27, 2010. In connection with his retirement, Rainwater has
requested the board not nominate him for membership on the Ameren
board at that meeting. Rainwater has served as executive chairman
of the board since May 2009, when Thomas R. Voss succeeded him as
president and chief executive officer. "I have been serving as
executive chairman for the past several months to ease the
transition to new leadership," said Rainwater. "I believe under Tom
and his team that the company is heading in the right direction and
that this is the right time to retire." Voss said that the company
is deeply grateful for Rainwater's more than 30 years service to
the company and its subsidiaries. "Gary was the driving force
behind the creation of Ameren Corporation---a company that now
serves triple the number of customers it did a decade ago. His
vision and leadership will be missed," Voss added. Two other
directors--Susan S. Elliott, 72, and Douglas R. Oberhelman,
56---are also leaving the board with today's meeting marking their
last regularly scheduled board session before the annual meeting.
All three directors will complete the term of their service at the
annual shareholders meeting. Elliott, chairman and chief executive
officer of Systems Service Enterprises, Inc. (SSE), submitted her
resignation from the board in accordance with Ameren's retirement
policy for directors who reach age 72 prior to the date of the
annual meeting. Douglas R. Oberhelman, vice chairman and CEO-Elect
of Caterpillar Inc., has asked that the board not nominate him for
re-election because of increased responsibilities at Caterpillar.
Voss added that Elliott and Oberhelman have served Ameren with
great distinction. Both have been Ameren directors since 2003.
"Susan Elliott served on our Audit and Risk and Nuclear Oversight
committees, which require strong skills in assessing the strength
of internal controls; her significant experience in information
systems provided a valuable perspective." He said that Oberhelman's
strong financial and executive management background brought a
wealth of business experience to the Ameren board and to his tenure
on the Audit and Risk and Nominating and Corporate Governance
committees. "Doug's service on two major board committees led to a
significant change in our approach to risk management and
strengthened our governance policies," Voss said. Voss also added
that, although the board is losing three directors, in December
2009, Stephen R. Wilson, 61, chairman, president and chief
executive officer of CF Industries Holdings, Inc., was elected to
serve as a director on the Ameren board. Wilson serves on Ameren's
Audit and Risk and Nuclear Oversight committees. In addition, at
today's meetings, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee
recommended, and the board of directors approved, the nomination of
Steven H. Lipstein, 53, president and chief executive officer of
BJC HealthCare, to stand for election to the Ameren board at the
annual shareholders meeting. BJC HealthCare is one of the largest
not-for-profit health care organizations in the country and
Lipstein serves on a number of regional and national hospital
association boards and on several St. Louis civic organization
boards. He is also a member of the board of directors of the
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis and is currently serving in his
second year as chairman. Today, Ameren's board, upon the
recommendation of the Nominating and Corporate Governance
Committee, nominated the remaining directors to stand for
re-election at the annual meeting. With assets of $24 billion,
Ameren serves 2.4 million electric customers and nearly one million
natural gas customers in a 64,000-square-mile area of Missouri and
Illinois. DATASOURCE: Ameren Corporation CONTACT: Media, Susan
Gallagher, +1-314-554-2175, , or Analysts, Doug Fischer,
+1-314-554-4859, , or Investors, Investor Services, , all of Ameren
Web Site: http://www.ameren.com/
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