Luanne S. Gutermuth

Luanne Gutermuth is a senior executive with broad functional experience, including Chief Administrative Officer and Chief Human Resource Officer roles.  Luanne’s 35-year career, which includes over 20 years in the energy industry, demonstrates a track record of developing and implementing strategies that improved corporate performance and effectively addressed talent needs.  She successfully led multiple enterprise-wide transformation initiatives, including M&A integration, business process outsourcing, large-scale system implementations, and organizational culture change. Luanne’s extensive governance experience includes corporate oversight, complex program management and service on multiple non-profit boards.

Industry Experience:

• Energy/Utility:  Over her 22-year tenure at WGL and Washington Gas, Luanne gained an in-depth knowledge of the gas utility industry and broad exposure to retail commodity sales, gas pipelines and renewable energy solutions (solar, wind). Earlier in her career, Luanne worked in financial and business analysis roles at Mobil Oil.
• Healthcare: In her five years at ManorCare Health Services, a national operator of skilled nursing and rehab centers, assisted living facilities and hospitals, Luanne evaluated new business lines, created marketing strategies and developed product standards.
• Government Contracting:  Luanne spent four years at the Department of Navy, where she negotiated multi-million dollar contracts for weapon systems, hardware and services.

Functional Experience:

Luanne recently retired as Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer of WGL, a $4.5B energy solutions company, and its primary subsidiary, Washington Gas, a local gas distribution company serving 1.2 million customers in the Greater Washington, DC area.  She was responsible for key corporate functions including Human Resources, Information Technology and Supply Chain as well as customer-facing activities for the utility, including Consumer Services and Sales & Marketing.  She represented the company to numerous external stakeholders, including regulators, public officials, regional business organizations and industry groups.

Previously Luanne served as Chief Human Resource Officer for WGL, which had over 1,700 employees and 3,000 contractors.  As CHRO she was responsible for all aspects of human capital management, including employee and labor relations, compensation and benefits, talent development, and recruiting. She spearheaded the succession planning and talent review process and launched a comprehensive Diversity and Inclusion strategy to reinforce company values.  She drove leadership and culture initiatives that led to a significant increase in employee engagement, and sponsored accelerated training programs to mitigate the impact of pending retirements.

Key Business Transaction Experience:  

• Led the integration effort for WGL’s $4.6M merger with AltaGas Ltd, which closed in July 2018. Drove synergy savings which exceeded $15M in 2019 and were projected to be $100M over five years.
• Participated in WGL’s due diligence team for multiple M&A opportunities.
• Negotiated $300M, ten-year Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) contract that provided service delivery improvements, technology enhancements and estimated cost savings of $170 million to WGL. Contract included business processes within Customer Service, Human Resources, Information Technology and Supply Chain.
• Provided executive oversight and led steering committee for multiple complex system implementations and technology upgrades. Most notably — WGL’s successful implementation of a $100M customer billing and mobile work management system, which replace outdated technology and aligned processes with industry best practices.
• Restructured retiree medical benefits, reducing expenses by $18M annually while maintaining benefit levels.
• Directed negotiations with four different labor unions at Washington Gas, resulting in effective collective bargaining agreements that incorporated company priorities, such as benefits cost sharing and safety programs.

What is the most important skill you bring to a corporate board?

Luanne brings particular expertise in the areas of talent, strategy and governance.