| Media release
Swissgrid has promoted Maurice Dierick with immediate effect to Head of the Grid Business Unit and member of the Executive Board. He is therefore the successor to Yves Zumwald, who was named CEO in March 2016. Maurice Dierick has been active as Head of Grid Infrastructure since February 2015 at Swissgrid and has extensive knowledge of the Swiss energy industry thanks to his earlier positions.
The Head of Grid has overall responsibility for planning, developing and maintaining the extra-high-voltage grid in Switzerland as well as its operation. «I am happy that we have gained Maurice Dierick, a colleague with many years of local and international experience in the energy sector», says Yves Zumwald, CEO of Swissgrid. «Thanks to his entrepreneurial and strategic skills, he is the ideal candidate for consolidating and further developing the infrastructure, which was taken over from the previous owners, and aligning system operations with the requirements of the future.»
Maurice Dierick (51) is Dutch and has a degree in mechanical engineering. He started his career as an engineer for large industrial companies in France and Germany. In 1998 he moved to consulting and project work, and has supported power supply companies throughout Europe within the scope of the liberalisation of the energy market and the establishment of an Asset Management Organisation. Within this role, he also helped companies in Switzerland for about 10 years and is therefore familiar with the local conditions. Most recently he worked on a transformation project for Western Power (Australia) on behalf of Ernst & Young in Australia. In February 2015, Maurice Dierick joined Swissgrid as Head of Grid Infrastructure where he was responsible for the entire infrastructure to the amount of CHF 2.5 billion, as well as planning and construction activities for grid projects.