Chief Executive
Carl Hansen
Carl Hansen has been the Electricity Authority's Chief Executive since its inception in November 2010.
He led the Authority through its first year in which it successfully met government requirements to complete a number of key matters, including introducing an active hedge market and a compensation scheme for electricity consumers. Carl has also overseen a wide range of other initiatives, many of which are continuing to develop, including the successful What's My Number consumer switching programme, and launch of Advisory Groups and the Security and Reliability Council.
Carl has been involved in the evolution of the New Zealand electricity market, as a senior executive and director, independent advisor and economist. He has chaired sector technical and advisory groups and acted as principal adviser to a number of industry bodies.
Before the Authority, Carl spent almost a decade with market services company M co, originally as Chief Economist and then as Chief Executive. He has worked for the Law and Economics Consulting Group, providing strategic and regulatory advice to utility and infrastructure clients, and has held a wide range of policy development and operations roles at the New Zealand Treasury and Reserve Bank. He has also undertaken policy analysis at the Business Roundtable.
Carl has a Masters degree in economics, with first class honours, from the University of Michigan.