Evergy Appoints W. Bryan Buckler Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Rhea-AI Summary

Evergy (NASDAQ: EVRG) has announced the appointment of W. Bryan Buckler as its new executive vice president and chief financial officer, effective October 1, 2024. Buckler, 51, joins Evergy from OGE Energy Corp. (NYSE: OGE), where he has served as CFO since January 2021. In his new role, Buckler will oversee Evergy's corporate finance functions, including treasury, accounting, planning, tax, internal audit, capital allocation, and investor relations.

Buckler brings extensive experience from his previous roles at OGE Energy Corp. and Duke Energy , where he held various finance leadership positions. Geoff Ley, Evergy's current acting CFO, will continue in his role until September 30, 2024, before transitioning back to his position as treasurer and vice president of corporate planning.

Positive

• Appointment of an experienced CFO with a strong track record in the utility sector
• Smooth transition plan with the current acting CFO remaining in a leadership role
• New CFO brings diverse finance experience from multiple large energy companies

Negative

• None.

Buckler Previously Served as Chief Financial Officer at OGE Energy Corp.

KANSAS CITY, Mo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Evergy, Inc. (NASDAQ: EVRG) today announced W. Bryan Buckler will become the company’s executive vice president and chief financial officer, effective October 1, 2024. As chief financial officer, Buckler will be responsible for Evergy’s corporate finance functions, including treasury, accounting, planning, tax, internal audit, capital allocation and investor relations.

W. Bryan Buckler will become Evergy's executive vice president and chief financial officer, effective October 1, 2024. (Photo: Business Wire)

Buckler, 51, joins Evergy from OGE Energy Corp. (NYSE: OGE), the parent company of OG&E, a regulated electric utility serving Oklahoma and western Arkansas. He has served as chief financial officer since January 2021. At OGE Energy Corp., Buckler is responsible for the treasury, investor relations, financial planning and analysis, internal audit and controller functions. Prior to joining OGE Energy Corp., Buckler was at Duke Energy Corporation for more than 14 years, where he served in various finance leadership roles, most recently as vice president, investor relations. He began his career at Ernst & Young LLP, where he worked for 11 years.

“We are very excited to have Bryan Buckler join our Evergy team,” commented David Campbell, Evergy’s chairman and chief executive officer. “Along with his strong track record as a chief financial officer, Bryan brings a wealth of experience through prior stints in accounting, treasury, financial planning and analysis, and investor relations functions in his career. I look forward to partnering with Bryan and I know he will be a great mentor and leader for our finance organization.”

Geoff Ley will continue to serve as Evergy’s acting chief financial officer until September 30, 2024, when he will transition the chief financial officer role and retain his role as treasurer and vice president of corporate planning.

“I would also like to thank Geoff Ley for his outstanding service as acting chief financial officer during this interim period,” added Campbell. “Geoff plays a vital role at Evergy and we are very grateful for all that he does as a member of our senior leadership team.”

About Evergy

Evergy, Inc. (NASDAQ: EVRG), serves 1.7 million customers in Kansas and Missouri. Evergy’s mission is to empower a better future. Our focus remains on producing, transmitting and delivering reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy for the benefit of our stakeholders. Today, about half of Evergy’s power comes from carbon-free sources, creating more reliable energy with less impact to the environment. We value innovation and adaptability to give our customers better ways to manage their energy use, to create a safe, diverse and inclusive workplace for our employees, and to add value for our investors. Headquartered in Kansas City, our employees are active members of the communities we serve.

For more information about Evergy, visit us at www.evergy.com.

Forward Looking Statements

Statements made in this document that are not based on historical facts are forward-looking, may involve risks and uncertainties, and are intended to be as of the date when made. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements relating to Evergy's strategic plan, including, without limitation, those related to earnings per share, dividend, operating and maintenance expense and capital investment goals; the outcome of legislative efforts and regulatory and legal proceedings; future energy demand; future power prices; plans with respect to existing and potential future generation resources; the availability and cost of generation resources and energy storage; target emissions reductions; and other matters relating to expected financial performance or affecting future operations. Forward-looking statements are often accompanied by forward-looking words such as "anticipates," "believes," "expects," "estimates," "forecasts," "should," "could," "may," "seeks," "intends," "proposed," "projects," "planned," "target," "outlook," "remain confident," "goal," "will" or other words of similar meaning. Forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking information.

In connection with the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, the Evergy Companies are providing a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ from the forward-looking information. These risks, uncertainties and other factors include, but are not limited to: economic and weather conditions and any impact on sales, prices and costs; changes in business strategy or operations; the impact of federal, state and local political, legislative, judicial and regulatory actions or developments, including deregulation, re-regulation, securitization and restructuring of the electric utility industry; decisions of regulators regarding, among other things, customer rates and the prudency of operational decisions such as capital expenditures and asset retirements; changes in applicable laws, regulations, rules, principles or practices, or the interpretations thereof, governing tax, accounting and environmental matters, including air and water quality and waste management and disposal; the impact of climate change, including increased frequency and severity of significant weather events and the extent to which counterparties are willing to do business with, finance the operations of or purchase energy from the Evergy Companies due to the fact that the Evergy Companies operate coal-fired generation; prices and availability of electricity and natural gas in wholesale markets; market perception of the energy industry and the Evergy Companies; the impact of future pandemic health events on, among other things, sales, results of operations, financial position, liquidity and cash flows, and also on operational issues, such as supply chain issues and the availability and ability of the Evergy Companies' employees and suppliers to perform the functions that are necessary to operate the Evergy Companies; changes in the energy trading markets in which the Evergy Companies participate, including retroactive repricing of transactions by regional transmission organizations (RTO) and independent system operators; financial market conditions and performance, disruptions in the banking industry, including volatility in interest rates and credit spreads and in availability and cost of capital and the effects on derivatives and hedges, nuclear decommissioning trust and pension plan assets and costs; impairments of long-lived assets or goodwill; credit ratings; inflation rates; effectiveness of risk management policies and procedures and the ability of counterparties to satisfy their contractual commitments; impact of physical and cybersecurity breaches, criminal activity, terrorist attacks, acts of war and other disruptions to the Evergy Companies' facilities or information technology infrastructure or the facilities and infrastructure of third party service providers on which the Evergy Companies rely; impact of geopolitical conflicts on the global energy market, including the ability to contract for non-Russian sourced uranium; ability to carry out marketing and sales plans; cost, availability, quality and timely provision of equipment, supplies, labor and fuel; impacts of tariffs; ability to achieve generation goals and the occurrence and duration of planned and unplanned generation outages; delays and cost increases of generation, transmission, distribution or other projects; the Evergy Companies' ability to manage their transmission and distribution development plans and transmission joint ventures; the inherent risks associated with the ownership and operation of a nuclear facility, including environmental, health, safety, regulatory and financial risks; workforce risks, including those related to the Evergy Companies' ability to attract and retain qualified personnel, maintain satisfactory relationships with their labor unions and manage costs of, or changes in, wages, retirement, health care and other benefits; disruption, costs and uncertainties caused by or related to the actions of individuals or entities, such as activist shareholders or special interest groups, that seek to influence Evergy's strategic plan, financial results or operations; the impact of changing expectations and demands of the Evergy Companies' customers, regulators, investors and stakeholders, including heightened emphasis on environmental, social and governance concerns; the possibility that strategic initiatives, including mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, and long-term financial plans, may not create the value that they are expected to achieve in a timely manner or at all; difficulties in maintaining relationships with customers, employees, regulators or suppliers; and other risks and uncertainties.

This list of factors is not all-inclusive because it is not possible to predict all factors. You should also carefully consider the information contained in the Evergy Companies' other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Additional risks and uncertainties are discussed from time to time in current, quarterly and annual reports filed by the Evergy Companies with the SEC. New factors emerge from time to time, and it's not possible for the Evergy Companies to predict all such factors, nor can the Evergy Companies assess the impact of each such factor on the business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained or implied in any forward-looking statement. Given these uncertainties, undue reliance should not be placed on these forward-looking statements. The Evergy Companies undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240823536709/en/

Media Contact:

Gina Penzig

Director, Corporate Communications

Phone: 785-508-2410

Gina.Penzig@evergy.com

Media line: 888-613-0003

Investor Contact:

Pete Flynn

Director, Investor Relations

Phone: 816-652-1060

Peter.Flynn@evergy.com

Source: Evergy, Inc.

FAQ

When will W. Bryan Buckler start as Evergy's new CFO?

W. Bryan Buckler will become Evergy's executive vice president and chief financial officer effective October 1, 2024.

What is W. Bryan Buckler's previous experience before joining Evergy (EVRG)?

Before joining Evergy, W. Bryan Buckler served as the chief financial officer at OGE Energy Corp. since January 2021. He also worked at Duke Energy for over 14 years in various finance leadership roles.

Who will Buckler replace as CFO at Evergy (EVRG)?

Buckler will replace Geoff Ley, who has been serving as Evergy's acting chief financial officer. Ley will transition the CFO role to Buckler on September 30, 2024, and retain his role as treasurer and vice president of corporate planning.

What are W. Bryan Buckler's responsibilities as the new CFO of Evergy (EVRG)?

As CFO, Buckler will be responsible for Evergy's corporate finance functions, including treasury, accounting, planning, tax, internal audit, capital allocation, and investor relations.