John Cleland is the Chief Executive Officer of Essential Energy, the electricity distribution network service provider responsible for delivering electricity to over 880,000 customers across 95% of New South Wales and parts of southern Queensland.
Appointed Chief Executive Officer in 2016, John has led the business through significant internal transformation and energy sector change and volatility, focussing on meeting the needs of regional, rural and remote customers.
John is Deputy Chair of the Energy Networks Association, representing the energy networks sector in government and industry forums on a range of issues. He holds Associate Membership with the Institute of Chartered Accountants, is a Fellow of the Financial Services Institute of Australasia (FINSIA) and Graduate Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) and has tertiary qualifications in economics and finance.
Prior to joining Essential Energy John held senior positions in infrastructure, resources and logistics sectors including rail, ports and energy; including Head of Infrastructure, Coal Division at Anglo American PLC and CEO of WestNet Infrastructure Group.
Champions of Change Energy Group
John Cleland is a Member of the Champions of Change Energy Group. The Group brings together representatives from the energy sector including energy generation and production, distribution, retail and resources businesses across Australia. Members are committed to working within and across their organisations to achieving inclusive gender equality and a significant and sustainable increase in the representation of women in leadership.