SJW Group, a leading national investor-owned pure-play water and wastewater utility, announced that its board of directors has appointed Kay R. New as chief human resources officer (CHRO), effective immediately. In her new role, New will oversee enterprise-wide efforts related to talent development, organizational effectiveness, employee engagement and performance.
“Kay is an outstanding utility executive whose experience uniting teams, building high-performance cultures, and leading employee-focused initiatives at a national scale makes her an ideal fit for SJW Group,” stated Eric W. Thornburg, chair, president and chief executive officer. “Her deep expertise in human resources strategy, business acumen, and purposeful leadership will further strengthen our ability to empower teams, enhance performance, and deliver on our mission to provide high-quality water and exceptional service to our communities.”
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New most recently served as vice president of rewards and employee experience at Avangrid, a leading energy company serving more than 3 million customers across 24 states. She also held the role of vice president of people operations and employee experience. During her tenure at Avangrid, she shaped the full employee journey—from onboarding, compensation and benefits, retirement programs, to policy and compliance, global mobility, budgets and analytics. Her leadership in designing equitable and innovative programs to attract, engage, and retain top talent – while fostering a culture of inclusion, growth, and excellence – played a key role in the company’s recognition as a Top Employer in the U.S. by Top Employers Institute. Additionally, she spearheaded the successful implementation of enterprise-wide HR technologies, including Workday and ServiceNow, to modernize and streamline the employee experience.
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Prior to joining Avangrid, New held key talent acquisition and recruitment roles at SGS North America, the world’s leading testing, inspection and certification company, and with local business enterprises. She began her career as a supervisor at US Bank, the fifth-largest commercial banking company in the United States. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration – HR Management from the DeVoe School of Business at Indiana Wesleyan University and completed the Energising Leadership Programme at ESADE Business School, headquartered in Madrid, Spain. She also serves as Advisory Board Chair for Trust for Public Land in Connecticut, a nonprofit organization that works to connect everyone to the outdoors.
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Source: Globenewswire
