CenterPoint Energy appoints Jesus Soto Jr. as chief operating officer

CenterPoint Energy (NYSE: CNP) announced the appointment of Jesus Soto Jr. as executive vice president and chief operating officer, effective August 11, 2025. Soto will oversee the company's electric operations, gas operations, safety, supply chain, and customer care functions across all states where CenterPoint operates.

Soto brings more than 30 years of experience in the energy industry, including electric transmission and distribution, gas transmission and distribution, and generation operations. He has served as executive vice president of Quanta Services, a Fortune 200 company, since 2023. Previously, he held the position of chief operating officer at Mears Group Inc. and senior leadership roles at PG&E Corporation and El Paso Corporation.

The appointment comes as CenterPoint plans to invest over $31 billion across its footprint over the next five years as part of its capital plan. The company serves approximately 7 million metered customers across Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio, and Texas.

"Jesus's deep understanding and background are the perfect match to help us deliver this incredible scope of work at-pace that will foster the economic development and growth demands in our key markets," said Jason Wells, president and CEO of CenterPoint Energy.

Soto holds a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the University of Texas at El Paso, a master's degree in civil engineering from Texas A&M University, and an MBA from the University of Phoenix. He serves on the board of directors of GTI Energy and chairs the Industry Pipeline Safety Management Systems Team of the American Petroleum Institute.

CenterPoint Energy is headquartered in Houston and had approximately $44 billion in assets as of March 31, 2025, according to the company's press release.

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