Thursday, March 17, 2005

GE Wind Energy Gets New General Manager

March 17, 2005 11:38 AM US Eastern Timezone
Gleitz Named to Head GE Energy's Wind Segment

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 17, 2005--Robert Gleitz has been named General Manager of GE Energy's wind segment, reporting to Mark Little, Vice President-Power Generation for GE Energy.

"Robert brings 20 years of extensive global experience and outstanding execution skills to his new role," said Little. "In his previous position, he was instrumental in driving outstanding financial performance, teamwork and excellence in leading GE initiatives, and success in delivering new products."

Previously led by Steven Zwolinski, a 23-year veteran who will be leaving the company to pursue other business opportunities, GE Energy's wind unit increased its revenue from $500 million in 2002 to more than $1 billion in 2004.

"With the support of the U.S. production tax credit (PTC) in 2005, we're looking at another record-breaking year for our wind unit, which is expected to double its sale of wind turbines in 2005," said Little.

"Led by Robert, our wind segment will continue to focus on high quality, reliable and cost-effective technology," he added. "We have integrated our energy products, wind and hydro groups to better support our growth initiatives, including increased customer value through business synergies and best practice sharing. We have also elevated our focus on service to better support our wind customers' needs."

A graduate of Institut National des Sciences Appliquees de Lyon (INSA) in France, Gleitz holds a diploma in science and energy engineering. He began his career at GE in 1999, following the company's acquisition of Alstom. During his tenure, he has provided leadership within a variety of energy technologies. He has served as Director of GE Energy's European projects group, as well as Commercial Director supporting sales and commercial operations for GE. More recently, Gleitz served as Managing Director of GE Energy Products Europe, based in Belfort, France.

"I welcome this opportunity to lead one of GE Energy's most dynamic businesses," said Gleitz. "Wind energy will be an increasingly important part of the global energy mix of the future, and GE intends to play a major role in that on-going effort."

About GE Energy

GE Energy (www.gepower.com) is one of the world's leading suppliers of power generation and energy delivery technology, with 2004 revenues of $17.3 billion. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, GE Energy provides equipment, service and management solutions across the power generation, oil and gas, transmission and distribution, distributed power and energy rental industries.

With wind turbine design, manufacturing and/or assembly facilities in Germany, Spain and the United States, GE Energy's current wind energy portfolio includes wind turbines with rated outputs ranging from 1.5 to 3.6 megawatts, and support services ranging from project development assistance to operation and maintenance. The company's knowledge base includes the development and/or installation of more than 7,100 wind turbines with a total rated capacity of 5,600 megawatts. GE Energy employs 30,000 people globally, including 1,700 in wind energy.